I attempted a number of codes using an iPhone SE (while trading out numerous carrier SIM cards) in addition to a Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S7 Edge running on AT&T. If you really want to try them out, your best bet may be to Google your phone's make and carrier + 'USSD' for a tailored, comprehensive list. These codes seldom work across different carriers, OSes, or phone models (or even on generations of the same model). We would LOVE to provide you with a comprehensive list of the dozens of codes out there, but that would be an exercise in futility.

Still, it can be fun to play around and see what unexpected functionality your phone is hiding beneath the surface. Most people don't really need to know how their local cell towers are performing or what their IMEI number (Opens in a new window) is (more on that later). They are accessed by inputting them into the phone's dialer (the screen you use to start a phone call) and usually begin and end with the * or # keys with a sequence of numbers in between (there's close-to-zero chance that anyone would accidentally access them). These publicly available backchannels allow users to directly communicate with their service provider's computers and/or access back-end features in their device. READ: 15 Cool Tricks You Didn't Know Your Phone's Camera Could Do This protocol was originally created for GSM phones (Opens in a new window), but can be found on CDMA devices (Opens in a new window) as well (if that's a bunch of acronym gibberish to you, here's a quick primer). Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)-sometimes known as 'quick codes' or 'feature codes'-is an extra-UI protocol, which allows people to access hidden features. secret pathways planted by programmers)? Well, that's actually a thing.Ĭoders have a storied tradition of baking in secret passageways (or sometimes, just fun little Easter eggs) that can only be accessed by inputting a special 'key.' And so that tradition continues in the mobile age. Remember that scene (Opens in a new window) in War Games when the socially broken code monkeys were explaining to aspiring hacker Matthew Broderick all about 'back doors' (i.e. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

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