delta: the hotspot settings Stock Android keeps to itself

The settings Google does not put in the Settings app

The README describes delta as an app that allows accessing advanced hotspot settings not exposed through the system settings app on devices that use Stock Android, and it states the audience in one sentence: devices where the hotspot panel is missing those controls.

The feature list is the clearest statement of the gap being filled:

- Usual info provided by settings app such as hotspot name, passphrase, security
type, frequency bands, quick connect using QR, etc.
- List of connected devices.
- Modifying amount of devices that can connect.
- Changing MAC randomization settings.
- Setting auto turn-off timeout.
- Blocklist to prevent certain devices from connecting.
- Make hotspot's SSID hidden (device doesn't appear on WiFi scans)
- Quick setting tile to easily turn hotspot on/off from notification shade.
- Control hotspot using Tasker/other automation apps.

The first item is the baseline, the things the stock app already shows, and everything after it is the point. The connected device list, the maximum number of clients, MAC randomisation, the auto turn-off timeout, a blocklist, a hidden SSID, a quick settings tile and automation control are the controls that a manufacturer may or may not have chosen to surface.

The README also notes the app is useful on devices like Samsung Tabs, the WiFi-only models, where the hotspot settings are hidden from both the Settings app and SystemUI. That is the case the project was clearly built for, because on those tablets the stock path to the hotspot panel is a detour or does not exist.

Shizuku is the mechanism behind the whole thing

The README states the technical basis in two sentences. It uses Shizuku to obtain hotspot related details and to modify hotspot settings.

That single design choice explains most of the project's shape. Shizuku is a service that runs with elevated privileges via ADB and lets apps use system APIs they could not otherwise reach, and a hotspot configuration surface is exactly the kind of thing that needs the system API but does not need root. The app is therefore not a root manager and not a custom ROM, it is a normal app with a privileged helper alongside it.

The consequence for a new user is an installation that is more than a sideload. The README points at a quick start guide at delta.shadoe.dev/quick-start-guide/ with step-by-step instructions on how to install the app, and a separate FAQ section, which tells you the install is a process rather than a single step. The README does not describe what Shizuku is or how it is started, so that documentation is the place to look.

The alternative, which the README does not mention, is a device where the manufacturer has already exposed these controls, or a rooted device where a different tool can do the same job. The reason to use delta rather than those is that it works on an unrooted phone.

Automation is where the app earns its keep

Two of the listed features turn the app from a settings panel into something a phone can be scripted with.

The quick setting tile puts a hotspot switch in the notification shade, so turning the hotspot on or off does not mean opening the app. And the entry for controlling hotspot using Tasker or other automation apps means the hotspot can be driven by the rest of your phone: switch it on when you arrive somewhere, off when you leave, or change the configuration on a schedule.

Neither of these is exotic. A hotspot toggle in the shade is a request every phone user has, and on the devices this project targets, the system does not provide one. The automation hook is the same request in a more useful form, because Tasker and similar tools can only automate what an app exposes.

The blocklist and the hidden SSID are the other two features that go beyond the stock panel, and they point in the same direction. A hidden SSID does not appear on WiFi scans, and a blocklist stops particular devices from connecting, and both are things a user might want for reasons that have nothing to do with convenience. The README does not say whether the hidden SSID state survives a reboot, and that is the sort of detail worth checking on a device before you rely on it.

Localisation through Crowdin, with the licence attached

The Localization section explains how translations are handled. If you wish to translate the project to a language you are fluent in, you can contribute through Crowdin, and to enable a language on Crowdin other than the ones already enabled you can open a discussion on GitHub or mail the author.

Then comes the note that makes the section worth reading. By providing translations on Crowdin, you agree that your translated content will be licensed under BSD-3-Clause, similar to the app. And the README adds that signing-off on commits is enforced on GitHub but not on Crowdin, and that the author wanted to make it explicit.

That is a careful, unusual thing to write down, and the reasoning is visible. A sign-off on a commit is a contribution under a licence, but a translation uploaded to a translation platform could land under whatever terms that platform applies, so the author closes that gap by asking for agreement to the same BSD-3-Clause terms as the app itself.

For a contributor, the practical instructions are short: find the language you speak, ask for it to be enabled, and translate. The contribute page on GitHub covers how to start with the code.

The app's own licence is BSD-3-Clause, and the homepage is delta.shadoe.dev.

A conventional Kotlin project with an api layer and system stubs

The repository layout shows a standard Android project with a few pieces that are specific to what the app does.

There is an `app` directory for the application, an `api` directory that is separate from it, and a `system-api-stubs` directory. The last one is the interesting entry, because an app that calls system hotspot APIs needs those APIs to exist in a type-checkable form even on devices where they are not public, and stubs are how you make that work while still compiling.

The rest is the usual Android scaffolding. `build.gradle.kts` and `settings.gradle.kts` for the Gradle build in Kotlin DSL, a `gradle.properties`, the `gradlew` and `gradlew.bat` wrappers, and a `gradle` directory. There is a `data` directory, a `docs` directory and a `scripts` directory, a `fastlane` directory for the store release automation, and a `crowdin.yml` that points at the Crowdin project.

The repository also carries the usual set of project files, with `.editorconfig`, a `.github` directory, a `.idea` directory for IntelliJ, and separate `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`, `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `SECURITY.md` and `LICENSE` files.

The primary language is Kotlin, and the repository topics are android, hotspot and shizuku, which is the whole project in three words.

Version numbers with a build counter on the end

The recent releases are named 2025.08+0 from 2025-08-24, 2025.05+2 from 2025-05-07 and 2025.05+1 from 2025-05-03.

The scheme is worth a second look. The version carries the year and month, and the plus suffix is a build counter that increments within that month. So a user with 2025.05+1 installed can update to 2025.05+2 and get a newer build of the same release line, which is a sensible scheme for an app that is distributed as sideloaded APKs rather than through a store with its own update channel.

The repository is not archived and the last push was on 2026-10-20, so work is continuing on the branch, and the published builds trail it as they would for a sideloaded app.

Two things are not in the README. There is no stated list of supported devices or Android versions, only a general mention of devices that use Stock Android and of Samsung Tabs, and there is no statement about which devices the author has tested. For a tool that changes system networking settings, that is the first thing to ask about, and the FAQ section linked from the README is where to look.

Editorial conclusion

delta fits an Android user on a device that hides the hotspot options, who wants a hidden SSID, a device blocklist, a MAC randomisation switch or automation hooks that the system UI does not offer, and who is willing to run Shizuku. It is the wrong choice for a device whose stock settings already expose what you need, or for anyone unwilling to grant a privileged helper the access Shizuku requires. Verify first that your device and Android version are supported, that the hotspot implementation is the stock one, and how the app behaves after a system update, since the underlying settings surface it targets can change between releases.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. License: BSD-3-Clause
2. Project website
3. README
4. Releases
5. supershadoe/delta on GitHub