What happens if I clear the data on the Apps called Settings?

[Android Central Question]

I enabled Developer Mode, but I want to hide it again, because I realized I can access USB to computer by selecting Charging and Data.

 

[Javier P]

Welcome to the forums. It will remove any personal change that you made in your settings and get back all the default values that came out of the box.

 

[DawnJ123]

Welcome to the forums. It will remove any personal change that you made in your settings and get back all the default values that came out of the box.

What do you mean? What Default values? Are you saying the setup of my fingerprints, lock screen and other Settings will go back to default? Or will it destroy my phone. I have a Blackberry KEYone phone.

 

[DawnJ123]

Hello Javier, the reason I ask I wanted to hide the "Developer Options". I thought I need that in order to be able to access the PHONE via my Computer, but I realize now all I had to do is select "Charging & Data" when I plugged my phone into the computer. I wanted to hide it again.

 

[Javier P]

Hello Javier, the reason I ask I wanted to hide the "Developer Options". I thought I need that in order to be able to access the PHONE via my Computer, but I realize now all I had to do is select "Charging & Data" when I plugged my phone into the computer. I wanted to hide it again.

Thanks for registering! No, your phone won't be destroyed because of that At most you will lose some changes that you did in your settings.

We discussed a similar issue some time ago in this thread.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/s...ions-re-hiding-developer-options-setting.html

 

[DawnJ123]

Hello Javier, the reason I ask I wanted to hide the "Developer Options". I thought I need that in order to be able to access the PHONE via my Computer, but I realize now all I had to do is select "Charging & Data" when I plugged my phone into the computer. I wanted to hide it again. If I do "CLEAR DATA" for the App called "SETTINGS" will have to reset my Lock Screen and Fingerprint settings again?

 

[Javier P]

Hello Javier, the reason I ask I wanted to hide the "Developer Options". I thought I need that in order to be able to access the PHONE via my Computer, but I realize now all I had to do is select "Charging & Data" when I plugged my phone into the computer. I wanted to hide it again. If I do "CLEAR DATA" for the App called "SETTINGS" will have to reset my Lock Screen and Fingerprint settings again?

I haven't tried yet but I think there's a big chance you would lose all those security settings and preferences.

 

[DawnJ123]

If I actually do the the "CLEAR DATA" for the "SETTINGS" App, will the "Developer Options" will go into hiding? Yes or No? Or can I just clear the cache?

 

[DawnJ123]

I haven't tried yet but I think there's a big chance you would lose all those security settings and preferences.

I will just have to reset my security from scratch, the fingerprints, pin, etc. I think that is all I did when I got the phone. My Blackberry Classic had a battery issue, would not keep the charge for long so the insurance I was able to get the KEYone, even though I am not a fan of Google, I have done what I can to shutdown and secure my phone from Google as much as I can. My last job I used to test HPE ArcSight SIEM security software, so my training, I am very much into Security for my laptop and phones.

 

[DawnJ123]

I have another question, related to security. This is what I want to do:
1. Create a Password before the operating system startups
2. Create a PIN + FINGERPRINT for the Lock Screen after O/S is up and running.

What I found, I am not able to have both, I have to have one or the other. Is there a way to have both?

 

[DawnJ123]

I will just have to reset my security from scratch, the fingerprints, pin, etc. I think that is all I did when I got the phone. My Blackberry Classic had a battery issue, would not keep the charge for long so the insurance I was able to get the KEYone, even though I am not a fan of Google, I have done what I can to shutdown and secure my phone from Google as much as I can. My last job I used to test HPE ArcSight SIEM security software, so my training, I am very much into Security for my laptop and phones.

If I actually do the the "CLEAR DATA" for the "SETTINGS" App, will the "Developer Options" will go into hiding? Yes or No? Or can I just clear the cache?

 

[Javier P]

If I actually do the the "CLEAR DATA" for the "SETTINGS" App, will the "Developer Options" will go into hiding? Yes or No? Or can I just clear the cache?

Clearing cache won't do anything and clearing data works on most phones. I haven't seen reports about this for your particular device, but my guess is that it should work.

 

[DawnJ123]

Clearing cache won't do anything and clearing data works on most phones. I haven't seen reports about this for your particular device, but my guess is that it should work.

So if I just If I "CLEAR DATA" for the "SETTINGS" App, will the "Developer Options" will go into hiding? Yes or No?

 

[Javier P]

So if I just If I "CLEAR DATA" for the "SETTINGS" App, will the "Developer Options" will go into hiding? Yes or No?

I have already answered your question to the best of my knowledge. In some older devices clearing data for the settings app wasn't enough to get rid of the developer options and only a full factory reset did the trick (I remember a couple of older Samsung models). For most devices just clearing data does the trick.

I've never used the KEYone and, as I told you already, never seen a report about this issue, so I can't be 100% sure of what will happen. My guess is that it should work and I'm sorry but I can't give you a better answer than that.

My personal advice, as many people said on that other thread that I linked, is why bother? I don't see any security risk leaving the developer options toggled off and just forget that they exist in your settings screen. That general switch in the Developer Options will restore the default values and there are some useful options in there, like 'running processes' or 'memory usage'.

There are no risks clearing data for your settings app, you will just lose some personal preferences, that's all. And depending how Blackberry divided those personal changes between the settings app and the 'settings storage' app the loss will be more or less limited. It's your call, I can't give you more assurance than that.