Secret Codes for iOS and Android Phones that Make Life Much Easier

Check out the secret codes for Android and iOS phones!

| Published: Monday, December 19, 2016, 13:21 [IST]

If you didn't know, there's a popular practice amongst software developers to leave 'backdoors' within the code, which essentially allows anyone with knowledge to get into the system at a much deeper level.

Secret Codes for iOS and Android Phones that Make Life Much Easier

If you are wondering why this is done, then it's because these backdoors allow the OEM or programmer to get into the system for troubleshooting when the usual modes of access have been blocked. And, it's not always with a malicious intent.

Blackberry is No More Blackberry: Company Says Will Stop Producing Smartphones Blackberry is No More Blackberry: Company Says Will Stop Producing Smartphones

As such, smartphones also have a good share of these backdoors as well and are generally known as secret codes. These are in the form of numeric/symbolic sequences and allow you to access hidden menus, diagnostic tests, change some of the most basic parameters of your device and a lot more.

All of these can be entered through the phone dialer in the sequence as given below. However, most hidden menus are manufacturer specific, so there's no guarantee that they'll work across all smartphones, but you can try them out on your iPhone or any other Android device. It can be fun to play around and see what unexpected functionality is hidden in your phone.

A note of caution is that some of these codes can cause serious changes to your device's configuration, so before you do any changes, make sure you fully understand what the function is all about.

For Android

It is a known fact that Android devices hold a large amount of information about its hardware and system. Nonetheless, an average user might find it difficult to access. It might not be the case anymore.

There are lots of Android secret codes that you can access to do a lot of things with the device. As such, you can factory reset your device, find out its hidden camera information, instantly back up your precious data, and much more.

Check out this comprehensive list of codes for Android devices.

Factory reset: Open your dialer and type in the following *#*#7780#*#*. Another way is to open up settings and click on Restore>Factory Reset.

Reinstall firmware: You can reinstall the device's firmware with ease by typing in *2767*3855#.

Camera information: Type in *#*#34971539#*#* and you can see the type of camera on the phone.

Backing up media files: You can create backups of the media files by using the phone's dialer. Simply type *#*#*273 283 255* 663 282*#*#*.

Google talk monitoring service: If you didn't know, Google keeps a tab on what you are doing. So to find out what data Google really has on you, easily open up that monitoring service by typing in *#*#8255#*#*.

Battery status: The battery status is already displayed at the top-right part of any phone screen. However, you can also see more information by typing in *#0228#.

WLAN testing: You can easily check the status of your Wireless Lan network settings by typing in 526#*#*#*#* or528#*#*#*#*.

GPS test: Perform a full GPS test to see how accurate your GPS settings are. While GPS isn't always 100% accurate, just run the test *#*#1575#*#* to see how well the GPS is actually working.

Diagnostics settings: View the settings configurations of diagnostic testing by typing in *#9090#.

SEE MORE: Best Offline Android Apps: Helping you go through the day without internet!

For iOS

Android is an operating system, which can be easily tweaked and customized according to your needs. On the other hand, Apple's iOS has simple menus and settings that are relatively locked down. However, if you are wondering if iOS also has some secret codes, it does. You can actually drill down to find some gems not seen on the surface.

So, if you want to find out how many minutes you have left on your phone tariff, what's your IMEI number or even find out a way to enhance your iPhone's voice quality, there's a way to do it apart from going to your normal phone's settings.

By typing in the following secret USSD codes on the dial pad of the phone and pressing the call button you can bring up these tricks:

Field Test mode: *3001#12345#*

Find out your iPhone's IMEI number: *#06#

Hide your number on calls option: *#31#

Check if call waiting is on or off: *#43#

Turn on call waiting: *43#

Turn off call waiting: *#43#:

Check minutes left on contract: *646#

Find out your current mobile account balance: *225#

Find out prepaid account balance: *777#

Number of missed calls: *#61#

Call forwarding status: *#21#

Call forwarding number: *#67#

Find out what mobile services are disabled on your phone: *#33#

SMS center number: *#5005*7672#

Turn on or off EFR (Enhanced Full Rate), a mode that improves your iPhone's call quality: *3370#

Easy Access

The main functionality of having secret codes hidden within a mobile device might be intended for the employees of the respective devices to troubleshoot and perform procedures. But, everyone has access to this information.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals