4 days ago
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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Use these codes to guardant calls, wage your bill, cheque balances, etc.
- Some of the codes enactment lone connected definite carriers oregon devices.
- One of the codes besides mightiness erase your data, truthful usage with caution.
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I've ever known that immoderate carriers enactment telephone codes -- numbers that commencement with * oregon # -- truthful you tin cheque things similar your information usage oregon 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 lone techies oregon developers would request to entree oregon tinker with, but if you're thing similar me, learning the 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 oregon abbreviated codes, and tried them each to spot what they do. They're not each for pros -- immoderate are amazingly utile for mundane radical who conscionable privation to, for instance, spot if they person telephone waiting enabled.
These codes enactment connected some Android and iPhone unless different noted arsenic device-specific. A fewer are carrier-specific, however, meaning they'll lone enactment if you're connected a peculiar mobile web (like AT&T, Verizon, oregon T-Mobile). And just warning: A fistful of the codes tin marque large changes oregon adjacent hitch your phone, truthful work cautiously earlier typing them into your keypad.
Entering *#06# into your iPhone's dialer and pressing the greenish telephone fastener volition show your device's unsocial recognition number, known arsenic the IMEI, on with your EID -- a unsocial 32-digit serial fig recovered connected devices that enactment eSIM technology. If you person a dual SIM oregon eSIM phone, you'll spot much than 1 IMEI listed. This fig is often needed erstwhile reporting a stolen phone, checking warranty status, oregon unlocking your instrumentality for usage connected different carrier.
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Tip: On an iPhone, you tin besides find the IMEI nether Settings > General > About, but utilizing the codification is faster.
Type *3001#12345#* to unfastened the "FTM Dashboard" (Field Test Mode Dashboard) -- a hidden engineering paper that displays your carrier, capabilities, telephone number, compartment operation 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 jargon lone technicians would understand.
OK, portion the codification supra is for iPhone users, this 1 is for Android users. It opens a method paper with telephone status, LTE/5G info, Wi-Fi details, app usage stats, and artillery history. It's chiefly intended for technicians diagnosing connectivity issues oregon checking elaborate strategy health. Most radical astir apt won't recognize it.
Also: How to wide your Android telephone cache (and springiness it a superior velocity boost)
Some carriers fto you dial these codes to spot if telephone forwarding is enabled and which fig your telephone is presently forwarding calls to -- either erstwhile you're engaged (*#67#) oregon for each calls (*#21#). You tin alteration it to guardant calls to different number, specified arsenic your home, office, oregon a third-party answering service, successful settings.
On iPhone, to alteration the forwarding number, spell to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding. On Android, the steps vary, but mostly you'll unfastened the Phone app, pat the three-dot menu, spell to Settings > Calling accounts, prime your progressive SIM, and past look for the 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 means your bearer doesn't enactment the diagnostic connected your plan.
Similar to the telephone forwarding paper above, dialing *#43# lets you cheque whether telephone waiting is enabled -- the diagnostic that alerts you to different incoming telephone portion you're already connected one.
To alteration telephone waiting connected an iPhone, spell to Settings > Phone > Call Waiting and toggle the power on. On an Android phone, you typically unfastened the Phone app, past spell to Settings > Calls > Supplementary Services > Call Waiting and toggle it on, though the steps whitethorn alteration by device.
Also: How to wide your iPhone cache (and wherefore it makes specified a large difference)
If you participate the codification and spot "Failed/Error" alternatively of "Enabled/Disabled" -- and you can't find a telephone waiting enactment successful your phone's settings -- your bearer apt doesn't enactment this diagnostic connected your plan.
Call forwarding is utile if you're traveling, utilizing a antithetic telephone temporarily, oregon privation each calls sent to a enactment oregon location enactment alternatively of your mobile. With this code, it's casual to guardant each incoming calls to different fig -- conscionable participate *21[number]# into your dialer. (The fig that's successful brackets volition beryllium the destination for your calls.) As mentioned earlier, you tin besides alteration oregon disable telephone forwarding successful settings if your bearer and program enactment it.
If you privation to support tabs connected your information usage, each large 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 substance showing however overmuch information you've utilized and, successful astir cases, erstwhile the rhythm resets -- large for avoiding overage charges oregon throttling.
Your iPhone tin person emergency, government, and nationalist information alerts, including AMBER alerts, utmost upwind warnings, and imminent menace notifications. By default, these are turned on, and you'll perceive a loud, alarm-like dependable erstwhile 1 arrives. You tin alteration oregon disable them anytime by going to Settings > Notifications and toggling the alert types nether Government Alerts.
You tin besides dial *5005*25371# to cheque if your telephone is acceptable to person trial alerts from authorities and exigency services. This codification doesn't trigger a existent alert -- it simply returns a yes oregon nary to corroborate whether the diagnostic is enabled. If it's connected and you'd alternatively disable it without going into settings, dial *5005*25370# and property the telephone fastener to crook it off.
In the US, dialing *67 earlier a telephone fig hides your caller ID for that 1 call, making "Private Number" look connected the recipient's screen, which is utile erstwhile calling businesses oregon radical you don't cognize well. Outside the US, the equivalent codification is *31#, truthful it works the aforesaid mode successful regions wherever *67 isn't supported.
Tip: If your caller ID is usually hidden but you privation it to look conscionable once, dial *82 earlier the fig to temporarily unblock it.
I didn't trial this codification due to the fact that reports accidental it volition instantly hitch an Android telephone and reinstall its archetypal firmware -- with nary informing screen. Yikes. I suggest utilizing it lone if you're selling, recycling, oregon afloat restoring your device, arsenic it volition wholly erase everything and commencement fresh.
What's the quality betwixt telephone codes and abbreviated codes?
I telephone the codes successful this usher "phone codes" throughout, but you whitethorn announcement immoderate carriers notation to their circumstantial codes arsenic "short codes." They're the aforesaid thing.
Are telephone codes unsafe to use?
Most are safe, similar the measure wage and information equilibrium codes. But the mill reset codification I mentioned past tin reportedly erase each your information instantly, truthful it decidedly comes with a large warning.
Are immoderate codes carrier-specific?
Yes. Many of the codes I mentioned lone enactment connected definite mobile networks due to the fact that they're provided by those carriers.
Will each codes enactment connected my phone?
No. Some are platform-specific (Android oregon iPhone), and immoderate are tied to carriers.
What if I messiness thing up?
If you enabled oregon disabled thing by accident, you tin undo it done your phone's settings oregon by re-entering the code. If that fails, backmost up your information and execute a reset.
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