How to Enable USB Debugging & Developer Options in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

The USB Debugging and Developer Options are hidden in latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. If we want to use that options, manually activate it. Google has rolled out latest Jelly Bean OTA update for their nexus mobiles. After the updating process, the developer option is not there in settings. Here is the guide to enable USB debugging on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running mobiles and tablets.

Developer Options have many features for app developer to test an app on their device from PC via ADB. After enabling the debugging mode only, access the mobile from PC. ADB is used for users if they want to quickly access and run commands on their device from their PC or Laptop. In gingerbread it is placed in Settings> Applications > Development > USB Debugging. And ICS it is placed in Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. But, after upgrading it to 4.2 it is missing. After a long time to search around, we found the way how to activate it.

How to Enable USB Debugging and Developer Options on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean:

Go to – Settings > About phone.
Then move on to Build number option
Tap on Build number repeatedly about 7 times.
This is enough.
After touching 7th time you will see a message that, “you are now a developer”.

Now the option will be placed in Settings menu. Normally it placed under System in Settings menu. Then you can enable it in Developer Options and Android Debugging.

49 COMMENTS

Vishal November 19, 2012 At 1:33 pm

Thanks Buddy it worked

louis kurian November 21, 2012 At 3:36 pm

Great discovery man 🙂

Márcio Matielo November 28, 2012 At 8:05 am

Nice catch. Anyways, how lame is that? LOL

cleveland__rocks January 25, 2013 At 11:46 pm

Wow I would have never figured this shit out.

- Troy May 13, 2013 At 1:40 am
  
  That’s precisely what I thought. Who in the hell would have? For those guys that did, my biggest thank you’s.
  
MusicDew BlueSpot March 4, 2013 At 3:57 pm

By mistake i was tapping on “Android Version” and my screen was filled with lots of Jelly beans….

Michael March 15, 2013 At 10:39 am

Wow, Great Find. Without this, I’ll still be lost. Why would google do this (hiding something that is so useful)??

- brian March 23, 2013 At 12:09 am
  
  They’re taking a foray into stupid-proofing, I’d wager.
  
DedHead March 20, 2013 At 7:51 pm

Thank You!!!!!!

Qasir April 5, 2013 At 9:53 pm

Thanks for this helpful tip. Keep on sharing such things. Well done. 🙂

Tavone Carter April 29, 2013 At 6:36 pm

Worked perfectly!!

- uli May 9, 2013 At 7:22 pm
  
  Thanks soooo much!. Worked perfectly!
  
Marvin Lee Fimmel May 29, 2013 At 7:23 pm

Thank you alot. It’s working. I like the way to do it 🙂

Zeeshan June 1, 2013 At 6:33 am

Hey! I have ported a ROM and it doesn’t boot. Now, I cannot enable developer options. Is there a way I can do this through build.prop?

Thanks.

stephen June 11, 2013 At 9:07 am

love u mate.. u saved my day

biola Shakur June 14, 2013 At 9:37 pm

TANX BRO YOU REALLY SAVED MY DAY KEEP IT UP

Alexander Fuchs June 26, 2013 At 6:39 pm

Nice work finding this out. there is also a jellybean screen when you type on Android version and a Cyanogen screen if you are using it.

boudz July 3, 2013 At 12:00 pm

thanks helped a lot

vijay July 20, 2013 At 10:09 am

thank you so much

Nilesh Narodia August 21, 2013 At 7:49 am

Hello biggest thank you to you I was tired to find debugging option after update 4.2.2 galaxy grand GT-I9082 for root it. After your help I did it thank you again.

Kool Breeze August 25, 2013 At 1:11 am

Is their a way to force usb debugging on I have a galaxy discover something happend and my settings and all apps are gone all that is currently working is email I tried to install the settings app from my duplicate phone and the phone says cant install unless directly from market.The only thing I can think of is an app that would force debugging on run from an attachment in my email.I tried backing up the rom from the duplicate phone and tried to install I get an authentication error.In any case it pretty much a brick at this points unless I can find a way to get a file manager installed or the setting if I could force usb debugging on then I could do full backup from my other phone and restore it with ease any suggestions would be great.

Juan Carbajal Paxi August 25, 2013 At 9:03 am

Muchas gracias, me ayudó bastante y fue muy sencilla en el Xperia Z

Sreenivasan Subramaniam September 1, 2013 At 8:27 am

Thanks .. I really missed this after update of my grand duos 19082 to 4.2.2…now got it back..Thanks again

Noel Lackey September 6, 2013 At 10:01 pm

Thank you 🙂

Pramod Shinde September 11, 2013 At 3:03 pm

10xxx a lo0t

payal September 24, 2013 At 7:08 pm

thanki u so much. much aprreciated.
🙂

Snehal Masne September 28, 2013 At 7:47 pm

Excellent. Thanks for revealing this! Keep it up! 🙂

ankit roy October 4, 2013 At 2:57 pm

Thnk u so much bro…

keyur October 27, 2013 At 10:22 am

Thanx buddy……I really missed that after update my xperia Z

Sphairo November 4, 2013 At 10:31 am

Me fue de utilidad la información, gracias a tu post he habilitado el modo de desarrolador

Fabiano Sabino December 6, 2013 At 6:06 pm

vlw amigos funcionou de boa

samuel January 23, 2014 At 8:15 pm

thanx so much………. I don’t really spend a few sec to thank usually, which is so bad of me! but thanx again!

Pradeep February 18, 2014 At 1:16 am

why is this hidden

- Yudiarto Mateo June 6, 2014 At 12:44 pm
  
  beacause the developer dont want you now about the secret because all people will be install CostumROM when now this
  
Daniel Caleça February 20, 2014 At 5:37 am

Nice..thanks for the info..=D

ocupmoc April 11, 2014 At 4:15 pm

Whahahaha, absolutely fabulous that this worked, cheers mate!!!!

Robert April 21, 2014 At 2:49 pm

Thanks ……really Proud of u man…

OLIRC May 1, 2014 At 6:51 pm

Thanks a lot! After rooting my Samsung Sm-G3815 Galaxy Express 2 i looked like a lunatic for this option but could not find it.

Now it´s enabled and i´m backing up my phone completely as i tap this.

Thank´s again!

Yudiarto Mateo June 6, 2014 At 12:39 pm

nice… thanks for sharing it

bacha papa June 20, 2014 At 7:36 am

thnkxx buddy ….. you solved my problem

Amado June 25, 2014 At 8:31 pm

thanks a lot ^_^

aniket July 9, 2014 At 1:24 am

thnk u very much

Dev Abir August 24, 2014 At 12:01 am

love u man

Nima Sharma September 6, 2014 At 8:02 am

gr8 thanks alllllloooooottttttttttttttttttttttttttttt …!!!!!!!!

sadman December 12, 2014 At 12:27 am

great help man..thanks a lot..

Dean3178 December 3, 2015 At 6:42 pm

Please symonds help me I can’t seem root my alcatel pixi4900

mrkacangkiller January 28, 2016 At 2:16 pm

bagaimana cara mengaktifkan usb debugging kalau phone ade lockscreen

anon July 19, 2016 At 12:30 pm

Thank you so much for the info.

James Tobin June 3, 2017 At 8:20 am

on my g3 after enable developer options the “USB Debugging” is greyed out