Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. News

OnePlus phones could soon get a cool lock screen information trick

Leaked images suggest OnePlus is testing a Samsung-style lock screen widget for calls and media.

Add as a preferred source on Google
Now Bar in Samsung One UI 8 on Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

OnePlus could be getting a smarter way to surface live information before you unlock your phone. Images shared by OnePlus Club show a new bottom-aligned lock screen element, described in the post as a Lockscreen Island, that appears designed to show media controls and call details.

That would give OxygenOS 16.1 a more active lock screen without turning it into a mess of alerts. The same post also points to a redesigned lock screen media player, which suggests OnePlus is reworking this part of the interface more broadly rather than adding a single floating widget.

Recommended Videos

What matters now is what OnePlus hasn’t said. There’s still no launch timing, no device list, and no clear sign of how much the feature will do beyond the examples shown in the leaked images.

What the leak actually shows

The most obvious detail is where the new element sits. It appears near the bottom of the screen, which should make it easier to reach than a standard notification stack while keeping the rest of the lock screen relatively clean. In the examples shown, it handles music playback and ongoing call information.

ColorOS 16.1 / OxygenOS 16.1 new features:

• New media player UI
• Lockscreen Island pic.twitter.com/wjICXG2bIT

— OnePlus Club (@OnePlusClub) April 10, 2026

That placement suggests OnePlus wants a dedicated area for live status, not just another layer of alerts. If it works well, this could make common tasks feel faster without forcing users to open an app first.

Why Samsung comes to mind

The comparison is easy to understand because Samsung already pushed in this direction with its own live lock screen tools. Based on the images, OnePlus seems to be chasing a similar idea, giving users a compact strip for glanceable updates and quick actions.

Still, the appeal will depend on scope. Calls and media are a solid start, but the feature will feel much more useful if OnePlus expands support without duplicating what notifications already handle.

What to watch next

The software names in the leak, ColorOS 16.1 and OxygenOS 16.1, are the clearest hint about where this could land. Combined with the reported media player redesign, they point to a wider lock screen refresh that’s still missing rollout details.

For now, the idea looks promising because it targets something people actually do all day, checking calls, music, and live status at a glance. Now OnePlus needs to show which phones get it, when it arrives, and how far it plans to take the feature.

Paulo Vargas
Paulo Vargas is an English major turned reporter turned technical writer, with a career that has always circled back to…
The phone that let me play Ghost of Tsushima is getting a sleek sequel
I pushed Red Magic’s last gaming phone to its limits. Now, we know what the next-gen model looks like
Red Magic 12 Pro+ Featured

I've already seen how far Red Magic lets you push a smartphone. When I reviewed the Red Magic 11S Pro, I threw benchmarks, emulation, extended gaming sessions, and eventually the PC version of Ghost of Tsushima at it. With some tweaking, I even saw the game climb beyond 40fps and occasionally touch 60fps in Diablo mode.

The experiment wasn't always stable, but watching a phone run AAA titles is just insane. Now, we finally have an official look at what the brand is building next, and I'm excited to say the least. Red Magic has revealed the full exterior of the upcoming RedMagic 12 Pro+ ahead of its October 15 launch in China. The phone will come in Transparent Dark Night, Transparent Silver Wing, and Transparent Ice Blue, with the company's visible RGB liquid-cooling hardware once again proudly showing through the rear panel.

Read more
Samsung is reportedly making 30% fewer phones because selling them isn’t paying off anymore
AI companies are swallowing up memory supplies, sending smartphone component costs soaring and forcing Samsung to rethink how many phones it builds.
Symbol, Text, Number

Samsung is about to make a lot fewer phones, and the reason has nothing to do with demand. According to a report by Money Today, the company's Mobile eXperience (MX) division has started scaling back smartphone output for the last three months of the year, and the cut could be as deep as 30%.

Sources in the industry say Samsung has told its suppliers to ship 20% to 30% fewer components. That's far more aggressive than what IDC had in mind. The research firm expected Samsung's output to slip from 59 million phones in the third quarter to 52 million in the fourth, which works out to a dip of roughly 12%.

Read more
Prime Big Deal Days sale ends tonight, and these are my 6 last-minute picks
Save up to 60% on tech from Apple, Sony, Google, Bose, and Ring before Prime Day ends.
Apple Watch SE 3 Google Pixel 11 and Bose QuietComfort headphones

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, leaving just a few hours to make those last-minute purchases. If you’ve been putting off a phone upgrade or waiting for an OLED TV discount, now is a good time to check your shortlist. I’ve picked six options covering everyday essentials and bigger upgrades, from Bose headphones to an M5 MacBook Air.

Sony Bravia 6 65-inch OLED TV - $1,298 (35% off)

Read more