This article shows how to change the size of objects displayed on the screen of an Android device (for example app icons) by changing the resolution (ie the number of DPI from English "Dots per Inch") adopted by the operating system. To do this, you need to download and install the Android Studio Developer Kit program (better known as SDK) on your computer (both Windows and macOS).
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Enable USB Debugging
Step 1. Launch the Device Settings app
It features a gear icon located within the "Applications" panel (or directly on the Home screen).
Step 2. Scroll to the bottom of the "Settings" menu that appeared
If you are using a device from the "Galaxy" family, you will first need to access the "Device" section of the menu using the appropriate tabs at the top of the screen.
Step 3. Select the Device Info item
This option may also be labeled "About phone" or "About tablet", depending on the version of the operating system you are using.
Step 4. Scroll to the bottom of the "Device Info" menu that appeared to locate the item called "Build Version"
Step 5. Tap Build version seven consecutive times
Remember that you will need to do this quickly. If you have done this correctly, you should see a notification message appear with a phrase similar to "You are missing a step to become a developer".
Step 6. Tap the "Back" button on your phone
It should be placed in the lower right or left corner of the device.
Step 7. At this point, choose the Developer Options item
The new entry indicated should have appeared exactly above the Device Info option.
Step 8. Select the USB Debugging checkbox
A small green check mark should appear next to the indicated item.
If the "USB Debugging" button is already selected, ie the green check mark is already present, you will not need to take any action
Step 9. When prompted, press the OK button
This will confirm your willingness to activate debugging via USB connection. This is a feature that allows you to change the system settings (in our case the resolution adopted) directly from a computer via USB connection. From now on, the changes will have to be made via a Windows or macOS system.
If this is the first time you have activated the "USB Debugging" option on your Android device, after connecting it to your computer, you will need to authorize the computer to complete the connection and debugging via USB connection. To do this, simply press the "OK" button of the notification message that appeared on the phone screen
Part 2 of 3: Install the Android Studio Developer Kit
Step 1. Go to the website to download the Android SDK
It is a complete development environment, for Android systems, which allows you to program and change the settings (in this case the video resolution adopted) of Android devices.
Step 2. Press the Download Android Studio button
It is a green button positioned in the center of the appeared web page.
The Android Studio website will automatically detect the type of operating system you are using (Windows or macOS) directly providing the link to download the correct version of the program
Step 3. Select the check button "I have read and agree with the above terms and conditions"
This will confirm that you have read and accepted the terms of the license agreement for the program, then you can proceed with the download.
Step 4. Press the Download Android Studio button
It is located at the bottom of the newly appeared window. Depending on the computer in use, the button in question will have the final wording "for Windows" or "for Mac" followed by the version number.
Step 5. Wait for the download to complete
This is a large installation file, so you will need to be patient. Depending on your browser, you may need to choose the destination folder where the file will be saved after the download is complete (e.g. desktop).
Step 6. Double click on the installation file
If the operating system requires it, in order to continue, you will need to authorize the installer to access the computer's resources.
The installation file should be located inside the "Downloads" folder, which is the default for web downloads
Step 7. Follow the instructions provided by the installation wizard
Basically you will simply have to press the Next button until the actual installation of the necessary files starts. If you wish, you can change the installation folder and choose whether you want a shortcut to be created directly on the desktop.
Step 8. Wait for the Android SDK development environment to be installed on your computer
This step may take up to an hour to complete.
Step 9. Once the installation is complete, press the Finish button
This will automatically launch the Android SDK.
Step 10. Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the development environment settings
Also in this case you will simply have to repeatedly press the Next button until the Android SDK starts the configuration of all its components.
This part of the installation procedure is intended to prevent you from downloading and installing unwanted components
Step 11. When done, hit the Finish button again
At this point the Android SDK program is installed and ready to be used. In order to change the resolution adopted by your Android smartphone or tablet you will not have to perform any operation with the Android SDK, so you can also close the program if you wish.
Part 3 of 3: Change the Video Resolution
Step 1. Connect the Android device to the computer
Use the USB cable provided at the time of purchase, then insert the micro-USB connector into the appropriate port on your Android device. The USB connector will be inserted into a free USB port on the computer.
- The USB ports are rectangular in shape and, in the case of a laptop, are usually positioned along the sides of the case (if you are using a desktop system you should find one on the front or back of the case).
- Once the connection is complete, you will need to authorize the computer to communicate with the Android device by pressing the relevant button that appeared on the latter's screen.
Step 2. Open the operating system command console window
If you are using a Mac, you will need to launch the "Terminal" application, while in the case of a Windows computer, you will need to use the "Command Prompt".
- MacOS users can open a "Terminal" window directly from the "Finder" (the blue stylized face icon on the Dock) by searching using the "terminal" keyword. At that point, simply select the "Terminal" application from the list of results that appeared.
- Windows users should search using the keywords "command prompt" and the appropriate text field located in the lower left corner of the desktop. Then simply select the first item in the results list that appears.
Step 3. Type the command "adb shell dumpsys display | grep mBaseDisplayInfo" inside the command console
Step 4. Press the Enter key
In this way, information about the Android device connected to the computer should appear on the screen.
Step 5. Identify the current resolution adopted by the Android device expressed in DPI
It is the number on the right of the wording "Density" (for example "480"). Remember to write down the current resolution value so that you can restore it in case of problems during the modification procedure.
Step 6. Enter the command "adb shell wm density [DPI] && adb reboot" in the command console
Make sure to replace the [DPI] parameter with the new desired resolution (eg 540).
Step 7. Press the Enter key
The Android device will restart automatically. After the reboot is complete, the new resolution you set should be active.
Advice
- You can change the resolution of your Android device using a variety of applications, but you need to "root" your phone first for these apps to work properly.
- If you are having trouble getting the Android SDK to work properly with your device, it is very likely that you will need to update the drivers and / or operating system.
Warnings
- Although you can change the resolution of your Android device, by increasing or decreasing it, to change the size of the objects displayed on the screen, you cannot change the native resolution of the display to set a high resolution option (e.g. 720p or 1080p), since the latter is closely linked and limited by the physical structure of the screen.
- In some cases, changing the DPI number can generate compatibility problems when using the Google Play Store to install new apps. If this is your case, set the original DPI number again, install the apps you need, then change the screen resolution to suit your needs.
