14 Secret Phone Codes That Unlock Hidden Features On Your Android And Iphone

Trending 3 weeks ago
14 concealed telephone codes that unlock hidden features connected your Android and iPhone
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • Use these codes to guardant calls, salary your bill, cheque balances, etc.
  • Some of nan codes activity only connected definite carriers aliases devices.
  • One of nan codes besides mightiness erase your data, truthful usage pinch caution.

Get much in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add america arsenic a preferred Google source connected Chrome and Chromium browsers.


I've ever known that immoderate carriers support telephone codes -- numbers that commencement pinch * aliases # -- truthful you tin cheque things for illustration your information usage aliases measure balance. But I precocious learned, acknowledgment to ZDNET's sister tract PCMag, that your instrumentality itself besides supports galore concealed telephone codes that unlock hidden menus. Admittedly, these are mostly thing only techies aliases developers would request to entree aliases tinker with, but if you're thing for illustration me, learning nan hacky ins and outs of your instrumentality is incredibly fun.

Also: Before you discontinue Netflix, usage these concealed codes to unlock its afloat room of shows

So I did a small research, recovered a agelong database of telephone codes aliases short codes, and tried them each to spot what they do. They're not each for pros -- immoderate are amazingly useful for mundane group who conscionable want to, for instance, spot if they person telephone waiting enabled.

These codes activity connected some Android and iPhone unless different noted arsenic device-specific. A fewer are carrier-specific, however, meaning they'll only activity if you're connected a peculiar mobile web (like AT&T, Verizon, aliases T-Mobile). And adjacent warning: A fistful of nan codes tin make large changes aliases moreover swipe your phone, truthful publication cautiously earlier typing them into your keypad.

Entering *#06# into your iPhone's dialer and pressing nan greenish telephone fastener will show your device's unsocial recognition number, known arsenic nan IMEI, on pinch your EID -- a unsocial 32-digit serial number recovered connected devices that support eSIM technology. If you person a dual SIM aliases eSIM phone, you'll spot much than 1 IMEI listed. This number is often needed erstwhile reporting a stolen phone, checking warranty status, aliases unlocking your instrumentality for usage connected different carrier.

Also: Your Roku has concealed settings and paper screens - here's really to unlock them

Tip: On an iPhone, you tin besides find nan IMEI nether Settings > General > About, but utilizing nan codification is faster.

Show more

Show your IMEI (iPhone and Android)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Type *3001#12345#* to unfastened nan "FTM Dashboard" (Field Test Mode Dashboard) -- a hidden engineering paper that displays your carrier, capabilities, telephone number, compartment building IDs, web bands, and your awesome spot measured successful dBm alternatively of bars. You'll besides spot different accusation listed successful this menu, though overmuch of it is motto only technicians would understand.

Show more

Bring up nan FTM Dashboard (iPhone only)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

OK, while nan codification supra is for iPhone users, this 1 is for Android users. It opens a method paper pinch telephone status, LTE/5G info, Wi-Fi details, app usage stats, and artillery history. It's chiefly intended for technicians diagnosing connectivity issues aliases checking elaborate strategy health. Most group astir apt won't understand it.

Also: How to clear your Android telephone cache (and springiness it a superior velocity boost)

Show more

Bring up a testing sheet (Android only)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Some carriers fto you dial these codes to spot if telephone forwarding is enabled and which number your telephone is presently forwarding calls to -- either erstwhile you're engaged (*#67#) aliases for each calls (*#21#). You tin alteration it to guardant calls to different number, specified arsenic your home, office, aliases a third-party answering service, successful settings.

On iPhone, to alteration nan forwarding number, spell to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding. On Android, nan steps vary, but mostly you'll unfastened nan Phone app, pat nan three-dot menu, spell to Settings > Calling accounts, prime your progressive SIM, and past look for nan telephone forwarding option.

If you spot "Failed/Error" alternatively of "Enabled/Disabled" displayed aft entering these codes -- and you don't spot telephone forwarding successful your settings -- it apt intends your bearer doesn't support nan characteristic connected your plan.

Show more

Check telephone forwarding (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Similar to nan telephone forwarding paper above, dialing *#43# lets you cheque whether telephone waiting is enabled -- nan characteristic that alerts you to different incoming telephone while you're already connected one.

To alteration telephone waiting connected an iPhone, spell to Settings > Phone > Call Waiting and toggle nan move on. On an Android phone, you typically unfastened nan Phone app, past spell to Settings > Calls > Supplementary Services > Call Waiting and toggle it on, though nan steps whitethorn alteration by device.

Also: How to clear your iPhone cache (and why it makes specified a large difference)

If you participate nan codification and spot "Failed/Error" alternatively of "Enabled/Disabled" -- and you can't find a telephone waiting action successful your phone's settings -- your bearer apt doesn't support this characteristic connected your plan.

Show more

Check telephone waiting (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Call forwarding is useful if you're traveling, utilizing a different telephone temporarily, aliases want each calls sent to a activity aliases location statement alternatively of your mobile. With this code, it's easy to guardant each incoming calls to different number -- conscionable participate *21[number]# into your dialer. (The number that's successful brackets will beryllium nan destination for your calls.) As mentioned earlier, you tin besides alteration aliases disable telephone forwarding successful settings if your bearer and scheme support it.

Show more

Forward each calls (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Check measure equilibrium (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

If you want to support tabs connected your information usage, each awesome bearer has its ain code. Verizon customers tin dial #3282, AT&T users tin dial *3282#, and T-Mobile customers tin dial #932#. You'll get a matter showing really overmuch information you've utilized and, successful astir cases, erstwhile nan rhythm resets -- awesome for avoiding overage charges aliases throttling.

Show more

Check information usage (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Pay your measure (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Your iPhone tin person emergency, government, and nationalist information alerts, including AMBER alerts, utmost upwind warnings, and imminent threat notifications. By default, these are turned on, and you'll perceive a loud, alarm-like sound erstwhile 1 arrives. You tin alteration aliases disable them anytime by going to Settings > Notifications and toggling nan alert types nether Government Alerts.

You tin besides dial *5005*25371# to cheque if your telephone is group to person trial alerts from authorities and emergency services. This codification doesn't trigger a existent alert -- it simply returns a yes aliases nary to corroborate whether nan characteristic is enabled. If it's connected and you'd alternatively disable it without going into settings, dial *5005*25370# and property nan telephone fastener to move it off.

Show more

Test Emergency Alert Status (iPhone only)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
See ineligible and regulatory info (iPhone and Android)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

In nan US, dialing *67 earlier a telephone number hides your caller ID for that 1 call, making "Private Number" look connected nan recipient's screen, which is useful erstwhile calling businesses aliases group you don't cognize well. Outside nan US, nan balanced codification is *31#, truthful it useful nan aforesaid measurement successful regions wherever *67 isn't supported.

Tip: If your caller ID is usually hidden but you want it to look conscionable once, dial *82 earlier nan number to temporarily unblock it.

Show more

Hide Caller ID for 1 telephone (iPhone and Android)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Get postulation accusation (iPhone and Android, connected immoderate carriers)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

I didn't trial this codification because reports opportunity it will instantly swipe an Android telephone and reinstall its original firmware -- pinch nary informing screen. Yikes. I propose utilizing it only if you're selling, recycling, aliases afloat restoring your device, arsenic it will wholly erase everything and commencement fresh.

Show more

Factory reset (Android only -- danger!)
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

What's nan quality betwixt telephone codes and short codes?

I telephone nan codes successful this guideline "phone codes" throughout, but you whitethorn announcement immoderate carriers mention to their circumstantial codes arsenic "short codes." They're nan aforesaid thing.

Are telephone codes vulnerable to use?

Most are safe, for illustration nan measure salary and information equilibrium codes. But nan mill reset codification I mentioned past tin reportedly erase each your information instantly, truthful it decidedly comes pinch a large warning.

Are immoderate codes carrier-specific?

Yes. Many of nan codes I mentioned only activity connected definite mobile networks because they're provided by those carriers.

Will each codes activity connected my phone?

No. Some are platform-specific (Android aliases iPhone), and immoderate are tied to carriers.

What if I messiness thing up?

If you enabled aliases abnormal thing by accident, you tin undo it done your phone's settings aliases by re-entering nan code. If that fails, backmost up your information and execute a reset.

Show more

More