With Droid phones if you put *#*#4636#*#* into the dialer it will pull up a secret menu where you can shut off the antenna and do various other things. What other easy hacks can you do on Droids or iphones? (self.AskReddit) submitted 9 days ago* by frozen_beer Edit: correction, I mean ANDROID the operating system. Edit 2: The settings on these menus are intended for phone techs. If you do not know what you are doing, don't fuck with it. Some important programs will get damaged if the wrong button is pushed. 2960 commentsshare top 200 commentsshow 500 sorted by: best [–]OUohya 697 points 8 days ago This is the exact type of thread when combined with my limited technical knowledge and extreme curiosity, will leave me with a fucked up phone. permalink load more comments (12 replies) [–]mobugs 60 points 8 days ago The old motorola startac could be turned into a snooping device from a menu like this. You could listen random cellphone conversations in it. permalink [–]plasticmouse 46 points 8 days ago How so? That sounds really interesting. permalinkparent [–]FUUFighter 19 points 8 days ago ETACS was unencrypted, so using a secret menu on the startac you could tune on the various frequencies assigned to the service and listen what was on the air. Nostalgia time. permalinkparent load more comments (2 replies) load more comments (4 replies) [–]HancockTheApp 1268 points 8 days ago if you type "star3001#12345#star" in an iphone and hit call it pulls up the secret field test app. you will notice instead of bars for signal strenght you have number. The close to zero the better the signal. Hold the lock button until the turn off slider appears, but don't turn off. Now hold the home button until you get back to the home screen, and there you go. Just tap the number and it will change back to bars and vice versa. pretty cool, a lot more precise than bars Credit:Lifehacker.com Edit: for some reason Reddit is deleting the star symbol when i submit the comment, that's why i had to write out "star" permalink [–]Tokeli 590 points 8 days ago Pst, the * is used for formatting on Reddit. Just do \* when writing a comment and it'll show up. permalinkparent [–]BomberJjr 572 points 8 days ago Reddit hacks permalinkparent [–]huzzy 194 points 8 days ago *Wow,* I wish I knew this yesterday. Sure would've been helpful.*That sounds sarcastic, but it's not supposed to be. Just testing it out. permalinkparent [–]baconOclock 44 points 8 days ago It's called an escape character. permalinkparent load more comments (4 replies) load more comments (10 replies) [–]wolfmann 66 points 8 days ago This works in just about every programming language as well; \ = the escape character, so if you want in Java a string that contains double quotes you do just as above: String x = new String("\"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.\" - Nietzsche"); ironically, \ does not need to be an escape character either! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_character permalinkparent load more comments (14 replies) load more comments (4 replies) load more comments (9 replies) [–]Call-Me-Ishmael 64 points 8 days ago Wow, we used to put that same code into our old Nokia brick phones in 2002 and it worked then, too. I wonder why it's the same on an iPhone. permalinkparent [–]NewArchDemon 14 points 8 days ago Somebody is a smartass. I loved changing the carrier information and special messages using that code. permalinkparent load more comments (2 replies) load more comments (10 replies) [–]NoWarsNoKings 167 points 8 days ago Along the same lines. If you happen to be in a frozen app, instead of turning off your iPhone entirely, just hold the Sleep button until the shut down screen appears then hold the home button. Voila, app has been force quit. permalinkparent load more comments (16 replies) [–]azn_dude1 173 points 8 days ago If you put 4 spaces before your text, it will show up as code and Reddit won't italicize it. permalinkparent [–]indefinitearticle 49 points 8 days ago Additionally, you can use the '\' character before any markup characters to override rendering (as in '\*' to get *. permalinkparent load more comments (8 replies) load more comments (7 replies) [–]amishzombie 74 points 8 days ago So besides changing the bars to numbers, is this useful for anything else? permalinkparent load more comments (9 replies) [–]cakeandpiday 24 points 8 days ago What is the number range here? I get that closer to zero is better, but how far away does it get? permalinkparent load more comments (13 replies) [–]I_AM_NO_MAN_ 52 points 8 days ago I'm at work where I generally have no service or half a bar sometimes. It's at -130 right now.... permalinkparent [–]mfo245 36 points 8 days ago -130db should have no service. -100 to -120 db and you will hand to a stronger signal, if no stronger signal is present, you will usally drop service. iPhones have notoriously horrible diagnostic tools concerning their RSSI (received signal strength indicator). Also, if you ever see something higher than -40db, run. You're cooking your brain. permalinkparent [–]silentplummet 12 points 8 days ago* I am not a radio engineer. The unit of this number is probably dBm; absolute power as received by the antenna, log base 10 referenced to 0 dBm = 1 milliwatt. 0 dBm = 0.001 W = 1 milliwatt -40 dBm = 0.0000001 W = 100 nanowatts I doubt 100 nanowatts is capable of cooking much of anything. The power absorbed by your fleshy wet brain will be less than that of the equivalent volume of tuned metal antenna at 3G frequencies. permalinkparent load more comments (4 replies) load more comments (6 replies) load more comments (9 replies) [–]Notacleverredditor 133 points 8 days ago Will this fuck up my phone? I just got it today. He's too young to die! permalinkparent [–]I_AM_NO_MAN_ 78 points 8 days ago Doubt it! They made it so that people could use it. permalinkparent [–]Notacleverredditor 125 points 8 days ago I guess, but "secret field test app" sounds a little sketchy. Haha permalinkparent [–]econymous 439 points 8 days ago If it fucks anything up, you can hold it under water to reset permalinkparent [–]Notacleverredditor 166 points 8 days ago* Sick, man thanks! LPT! Edit: ... Fuck you. permalinkparent load more comments (6 replies) load more comments (7 replies) load more comments (7 replies) [–]ralphpotato 57 points 8 days ago I just tried it. It seems to be a completely diagnostic thing, so it does nothing but allow you to evaluate data. It won't do anything to the phone. permalinkparent load more comments (10 replies) [–]bluemtfreerider 52 points 8 days ago JUST DID IT. ITS FUCKIN SWEET permalinkparent load more comments (5 replies) load more comments (8 replies) [–]funkadelicfunk 26 points 8 days ago ummmm how do you undo this?? the bars will show when i push the number but once my phone locks then unlocks only numbers show up :( permalinkparent [–]RationalFapper 66 points 8 days ago On my iPhone 4S (up to date iOS), I just went to the field test app again and clicked home and it switched back to bars. permalinkparent load more comments (20 replies) load more comments (6 replies) [–]OddaJosh 36 points 8 days ago* FOR ANDROID USERS: You can view yours, too! Go to settings and to your about phone section. Should be somewhere in there where can view the number. Depending on your phone you may need to go further in: eg on my Galaxy s2 you need to go: settings > about phone > status I am still trying to find a way to have it replace the bars though! permalinkparent [–]woodstock365 13 points 8 days ago On CM9 you can do this in Settings > System > Status Bar > Signal status style. permalinkparent load more comments (3 replies) load more comments (10 replies) [–]clickity-click 50 points 8 days ago you are my hero. seriously. permalinkparent load more comments (334 replies) [–]roryrhorerton 181 points 9 days ago I don't have an android to confirm, but this site lists a whole bunch of codes including the one you mention. permalink [–]culasthewiz 221 points 8 days ago Think before you give this code. This code is used for factory format. It'll remove all files and settings including the internal memory storage. It'll also reinstall the phone firmware. PS: Once you give this code, there is no way to cancel the operation unless you remove the battery from the phone. So think twice before giving this code. http://i.imgur.com/Cl74c.jpg permalinkparent [–]BCMM 215 points 8 days ago Pulling the battery in the middle of such an operation is likely to be a really bad idea. permalinkparent load more comments (12 replies) [–]Montmorency222 545 points 8 days ago I'm strongly considering put the code on facebook telling people not to put it in their android phones, and just let curiosity happen. permalinkparent [–]Clabel 499 points 8 days ago Some men just want to see the world burn... permalinkparent [–]Huitzilopostlian 37 points 8 days ago Some men just wan to to see phones Brick. permalinkparent load more comments (10 replies) [–]a_random_hobo 133 points 8 days ago Fuck it, I'm doing it. permalinkparent [–]dodo_ns 74 points 8 days ago OP MUST deliver the reactions! permalinkparent [–]Nimanzer 222 points 8 days ago* Here's one from my Twitter http://i.imgur.com/1gffn.jpg Edit: follow up tweets lul http://i.imgur.com/qxjGJ.jpg permalinkparent [–]banana_box 20 points 8 days ago not surprised...coming from someone who says "rebooted his phone" after a factory reset permalinkparent load more comments (3 replies) [–]MALON 11 points 8 days ago How did you phrase it? permalinkparent load more comments (9 replies) load more comments (7 replies) load more comments (2 replies) load more comments (6 replies) [–]qposter 79 points 8 days ago Find some haters and tell them dial this to support chick-fil-a.