react-native-developer-mode

A simple, lightweight React Native library that detects whether Developer Mode (Android Developer Options / iOS Developer Mode) is active on the device — including real-time detection while the app is running.

Features

• ✅ Android: Detects Developer Options and USB debugging (ADB)
• ✅ iOS 16+: Detects Developer Mode via Apple's DeviceCheck framework
• ✅ Real-time listener — catches users who enable dev mode while the app is open or backgrounded
• ✅ Zero dependencies
• ✅ Fully typed (TypeScript)
• ✅ Promise-based async API

Installation

npm install @rick427/react-native-developer-mode
# or
yarn add @rick427/react-native-developer-mode

iOS

cd ios && pod install

Android

No extra steps required — the module is auto-linked.

Usage

One-shot read

import { isDeveloperModeEnabled, checkDeveloperMode } from '@rick427/react-native-developer-mode';

// Full result object
const result = await isDeveloperModeEnabled();
console.log(result.isDeveloperModeEnabled); // true | false
console.log(result.isAdbEnabled);           // true | false (Android only)

// Simple boolean helper
const isDevMode = await checkDeveloperMode();
console.log(isDevMode); // true | false

Real-time listener

Subscribe to changes so your app reacts the moment a user enables developer mode — even if they do it while the app is backgrounded.

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { addDeveloperModeListener } from '@rick427/react-native-developer-mode';

useEffect(() => {
  const subscription = addDeveloperModeListener((result) => {
    if (result.isDeveloperModeEnabled) {
      // warn the user, log the event, or take protective action
      console.warn('Developer mode was enabled!');
    }
  });

  // Always clean up to avoid memory leaks
  return () => subscription.remove();
}, []);

API

isDeveloperModeEnabled(): Promise<DeveloperModeResult>

Reads the current state once. Returns a promise that resolves with:

| Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | isDeveloperModeEnabled | boolean | Whether Developer Options (Android) or Developer Mode (iOS 16+) is enabled | | isAdbEnabled | boolean | Whether USB debugging (ADB) is enabled. Android only — always false on iOS |

checkDeveloperMode(): Promise<boolean>

Convenience helper. Resolves to true if developer mode is active on the current platform.

addDeveloperModeListener(callback): EmitterSubscription

Subscribes to real-time developer-mode state changes. Returns an EmitterSubscription — call .remove() to unsubscribe.

| Parameter | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | callback | (result: DeveloperModeResult) => void | Called whenever the developer-mode state changes |

Platform behaviour

| Scenario | Android | iOS | |---|---|---| | App open, dev mode toggled | ✅ Fires immediately via ContentObserver | ⚠️ Fires on next foreground | | App backgrounded, dev mode toggled, app foregrounded | ✅ Fires immediately on toggle | ✅ Fires on foreground | | App cold-started after dev mode was already on | ✅ One-shot read returns true | ✅ One-shot read returns true |

Android uses a ContentObserver on the system settings URI — it fires the instant the value changes in the settings database, regardless of app state.

iOS has no system-level callback for this setting. The listener re-checks DCDevice.currentDevice.developerModeEnabled every time the app comes back to the foreground and only emits if the value changed.

Platform Notes

Android

Reads the following system settings (no permissions required):

• Settings.Global.DEVELOPMENT_SETTINGS_ENABLED — whether Developer Options is turned on
• Settings.Global.ADB_ENABLED — whether USB debugging is enabled

Requires API 16 (Android 4.1) or above.

iOS

Uses DCDevice.currentDevice.developerModeEnabled from Apple's DeviceCheck framework.

• iOS 16+: Returns the real value from the system.
• iOS < 16: Returns false (Developer Mode did not exist as a setting before iOS 16).

Authors

License

MIT © Richard Njoku