Android smartphones hide some secret codes that allow you to access unique features of the device. Here are the most important ones
Many people think they know all the secrets of their Android smartphones, but in fact the devices hide functions that no one knows about. And they are so hidden that to access them you need to know some secret codes. We are talking about USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) codes, alphanumeric codes that you have to enter in the Android smartphone’s dialer (the app you use to call) and that allow you to activate hidden functions and screens of the device.
The codes do not work on all smartphones and in some cases you need to proceed with caution because the risk of deleting important data or changing some operating system settings is very high. Knowing some of these codes, however, can be very useful in some particular cases, such as if we need to know quickly the IMEI code of the smartphone. Many people don’t know it, but just typing a few characters and numbers on the dialer will bring up the IMEI code of the device (different for each smartphone). Here are all the most important secret codes of Android smartphones.
Android Smartphones, the secret codes you need to know
The codes that unlock hidden functions of Android smartphones are more than one and all different from each other. A complete and exact list does not exist, because it varies from device to device. We will try to suggest you the simplest and most harmless ones, so that you don’t harm your device.
We start with the most useful and simple secret code, the one that lets you know the IMEI number of your smartphone. Just type *#06# in the dialer to see the MEID (mobile equipment identifier) and the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) code appear. In case your smartphone is dual-sim, there will be two IMEI codes. These numbers are unique for each device and are used to identify it in case of loss or in case you have to sell it.
For those who like to discover the hidden menus of the device there is the code *#*#4636#*#*. Just type it in and a menu appears on the screen with three items: Phone information, Usage statistics and Wi-Fi information. In “Phone information” you’ll find a lot of entries regarding the device, from the name of the operator to the type of network. Our advice is not to touch and activate anything, the risk is to change the correct use of the device. The “Usage statistics” screen, on the other hand, provides very interesting information about the most used apps and those active in the background. The “Wi-Fi information” item provides useful data about the Wi-Fi network you are connected to.
For those who have a Samsung smartphone there is another very interesting code: *#0*#. If you enter it in the device dialer, a menu with many items appears that allows you to browse through the different features of the device.
If instead you want to have some more information about the software or hardware of the smartphone the code to use is *#12580*369#. Also in this case a screen with data about the device appears. The code, however, does not work on smartphones of all manufacturers.