In this guide, you’ll learn how to change DPI density on Android without Root or PC.
[toc]As we all know, the Android OS offers limited possibilities that have made it gain a lot of popularities over the years. Sometimes you look at your Android smartphone and its display (icon and texts) seems too big while you’d prefer to have more contents (data) displayed on your screen.
If we take a look at PC’s, you can easily change your font-size and icon size by changing your display resolution. The same effect applies to the Android OS, but in this regard, we alter the DPI (dot per inch) on Android devices to get the better display we want.
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Don’t get it wrong, DPI is different from screen resolution.
Difference between DPI and Resolution?
Basically, Resolution is a measure of how many pixels a display can show, vertically and horizontally eg. 640×480. While DPI which is also referred to as Display Independence is the measure of digital screen pixel density. eg. 640×480 on a 15′ display.
How to Change DPI Density on Android (No root – No PC)
If you’re a custom ROM lover, by now you’d have realized all the custom ROM features is gradually coming back to stock Androids. I guess the search giant is now realizing the importance of each of these small but significant features and implementing them on their newer OS versions.
With Android Nougat upgrade, one of the important features users with small screen display have always wanted came onboard. Yes, I am talking about changing the DPI density of Android display.
However, in the Android OS, it’s not exactly called change DPI in the options but you’ll find it in some custom ROMs as DPI. In the Android OS, it’s basically referred to as “Display Size”.
So, without further ado, let’s go down to the step by step guide on how to Change DPI Density on Android device without root or PC.
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Steps to Change DPI Density on Android
The two methods which we’re about to discuss will only work on devices running Android Nougat and above. However, if you’re running a custom ROM based on lower Android versions (Marshmallow or Lollipop), you may find this options in your device. But, if you’re running stock Android and you still wish to change your device DPI, see my previous article on changing DPI with PC without root.
First Simple Method To Change DPI Density:
Like I have said earlier, you need to be running Android Nougat and above to alter display density.
Step 1 – Open Settings from your app drawer or from your shortcut panel.
Step 2 – Scroll down and select “Display” in the options list.
Depending on your device, in the display option, you’ll find “Display size” while on some other device, you’ll find “Font size” and “Display size” in the Display option.
By default, your device display density is automatically set according to your screen resolution.
Step 3 – You can adjust the size of your display by swiping from left to right on the slider. But for a smaller display, swipe to the left until you’re satisfied.
Step 4 – Once you’re done setting the display, just return to your main menu and your preference will be saved automatically.
Now, for some device that only offers the “Font size” option, you can use the next simple guide on how to change DPI on Android without Root or PC
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Second Simple Method To Change DPI Density:
The next simple method will let you set your DPI density to an extremely low or high level.
Step 1 – Go to your device setting, “About phone and enable developer option by continuous tapping on the device build number until you see “you’re now a developer” toast display.
Step 2 – Now, go back to the settings menu, you should now find “Developer option” in the settings.
Step 3 – Open the “Developer option” and toggle the “Debugging option” to enable developer features.
Step 4 – Now, scroll down until you find “Smallest width” option in the developer option under the “Drawing section“.
Step 5 – Tap on the “Smallest width” option and you will be shown your device default DPI value. You may want to Note it down somewhere just in case you’d like to restore it back to default.
Step 6 – Now, edit the default value and enter a custom value according to your choice. Note, the bigger the value you set; the smaller your UI elements will get, and vice-versa.
On my Tecno LA7 (Pouvoir 2) my default value DPI value is set to 360 dp, and I’ve set it to 411 dp which is the default dp for Google Nexus 6P.
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At first, I decided to set it to 240 dp and I ended up with a messy look, so changed it to 411 dp and the content scaled down to a smaller size. But while I was using a custom ROM on my old device, I could change my display size by simply choosing a smaller DPI from the display settings.
Note: When you set any custom DPI value for your device, it may be changed to the closest safe DPI. So don’t be surprised when you go to the developer option again and the DPI value is slightly different from what you provided earlier.
So, that’s it, now you’ve learnt how to change DPI density on Android device successfully. Don’t forget to share with friends if this guide has helped you.
