Summary
- OnePlus will phase out the Alert Slider on its future devices in favor of a customizable smart button, like the iPhone’s.
- The new button will offer a personalized experience.
- Users can use the button to switch between sound profiles without waking up the device.
Aside from iPhones, OnePlus is the only smartphone brand that continues to put a physical mute switch on its devices with the Alert Slider. The company temporarily gave up on the slider with the OnePlus 10T in 2022 but reintroduced it with its next flagship device following user feedback. However, following Apple’s lead, OnePlus has announced plans to phase out the slider in future models, replacing it with a more customizable button.
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OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed the demise of the Alert Slider in an announcement, with plans to replace it with a “smarter, customizable button.” He says the new “smart button” will help deliver a more personalized experience, adapting to your needs and requirements.
Stripping away the marketing jargon, OnePlus essentially says that its future phones will feature a customizable physical button, similar to the iPhone’s Action button.
If you love the Alert Slider on your current OnePlus phone, you’ll be glad to know that the new customizable smart button will still let you switch between sound profiles without waking the device.
By replacing the Alert Slider with a button, OnePlus says it can “better utilize the device’s space, explore new layouts, and make structural improvements while keeping performance top-notch.”
This is OnePlus’ take on the iPhone’s Action button
Rumors about OnePlus doing away with the Alert Slider in favor of a more customizable button have been circulating since early this year. Chinese leaker DCS claims that OnePlus will allow you to remap the button to toggle the flashlight, launch an open, take a screenshot, and more — much like the Action button on the iPhone 15 and 16 Pro series. The button will apparently also come to future Oppo and Realme devices and debut on one of their flagship phones first.
I’m not a fan of the Alert Slider on current OnePlus and Oppo phones, as I rarely use it. Instead, a more customizable button seems like a better choice since I could use it to trigger a shortcut or quickly open an app.
Unlike iPhones, OnePlus should reposition the customizable smart button for easier accessibility. Placing it in the same spot as the Alert Slider could make it hard to reach and limit its functionality.