I used 14 secret codes to unlock the Settings menu on my iPhone and Android – how it works

Entering *#06# into your iPhone’s dialer and pressing the green Call button will display your device’s unique identification number, known as the IMEI, along with your EID – a unique 32-digit serial number found on devices that support eSIM technology. If you have a dual SIM or eSIM phone, you’ll see more than one IMEI listed. This number is often needed when reporting a stolen phone, checking warranty status, or unlocking your device for use on another carrier.

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tip: On iPhone, you can also find the IMEI under Settings > General > About, but it’s faster to use the code.

Type *3001#12345#* to open the “FTM Dashboard” (Field Test Mode Dashboard) – a hidden engineering menu that displays your carrier, capabilities, phone number, cell tower ID, network band, and your signal strength measured in dBm instead of bars. You’ll also see other information listed in this menu, although much of it is jargon that only technicians can understand.

Well, while the above code is for iPhone users, this one is for Android users. This opens a technical menu with phone status, LTE/5G information, Wi-Fi details, app usage statistics, and battery history. It is primarily intended for technicians diagnosing connectivity issues or checking detailed system health. Most people probably won’t understand this.

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Some carriers let you dial these codes to see if call forwarding is enabled and which number your phone is currently forwarding calls to – either when you’re busy (*#67#) or for all calls (*#21#). You can change this in Settings to forward calls to another number, such as your home, office, or a third-party answering service.

On iPhone, to change the forwarding number, go to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding. On Android, the steps vary, but typically you’ll open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings > Calling Accounts, select your active SIM, and then look for the Call Forwarding option.

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If you see “Failed/Error” instead of “Enabled/Disabled” after entering these codes – and you don’t see call forwarding in your settings – it may mean your carrier doesn’t support the feature on your plan.

Similar to the call forwarding menu above, dialing *#43# allows you to check if call waiting is enabled – this feature alerts you to another incoming call while you’re already waiting.

To enable call waiting on iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > Call Waiting and toggle the switch on. On Android phones, you usually open the Phone app, then go to Settings > Calls > Supplementary Services > Call Waiting and turn it on, although the steps may vary by device.

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If you enter the code and see “Failed/Error” instead of “Enabled/Disabled” – and you can’t find a call waiting option in your phone’s settings – your carrier probably doesn’t support this feature on your plan.

Call forwarding is useful if you’re traveling, temporarily using a different phone, or want all calls to be sent to the work or home line instead of your mobile. With this code, it’s easy to forward all incoming calls to another number – just enter *21(number)# in your dialer. (The number in parentheses will be the destination for your call.) As mentioned earlier, you can also enable or disable call forwarding in Settings if your carrier and plan supports it.

If you want to keep an eye on your data usage, each major carrier has its own code. Verizon customers can dial #3282, AT&T users can dial *3282#, and T-Mobile customers can dial #932#. You’ll get a text showing how much data you’ve used and, in most cases, when the cycle resets – great for avoiding overage charges or throttling.

Your iPhone can receive emergency, government, and public safety alerts, including AMBER alerts, extreme weather warnings, and imminent danger notifications. By default, these are on, and you’ll hear a loud, alarm-like sound when they come on. You can enable or disable them at any time by going to Settings > Notifications and toggling the alert types under Government Alerts.

You can also dial *5005*25371# to check if your phone is set to receive testing alerts from government and emergency services. This code doesn’t trigger the actual alert – it just returns Yes or No to confirm whether the feature is enabled. If it is on and you want to disable it without going into Settings, dial *5005*25370# and press the call button to turn it off.

In the US, dialing *67 before a phone number hides your caller ID for that one call, causing a “private number” to appear on the recipient’s screen, which is useful when calling businesses or people you don’t know well. Outside the US, the equivalent code is *31#, so it works the same way in areas where *67 is not supported.

tip: If your caller ID is normally hidden, but you want it to appear only once, dial *82 before the number to temporarily unblock it.

I didn’t test this code because reports say it will instantly wipe an Android phone and reinstall its original firmware – without any warning screens. Oh. I recommend using this only if you’re selling, recycling, or completely restoring your device, as it will completely erase everything and start fresh.