OnePlus has a long history of bold design experiments. On the functional side of things, the multi-stage alert slider switch has been a hot favorite in the community. Unfortunately, it’s going away soon. Thankfully, though, it will be succeeded by something more functional.
In a community forum post, co-founder Pete Lau wrote that the alert slider switch has been one of his favorite elements on OnePlus phones, but reasoned that he wanted to make it more versatile.
In its current state, the alert slider switch only allows users to switch between silent, ring, and vibrate profiles. To go beyond that, the switch will be replaced with a button, most likely a customizable one.
In case you’re wondering, YES, it will allow profile profile switching, just like the alert slider. The alert slider has been a hallmark of OnePlus phones, but what comes next could very well be even more rewarding.
More space for meaningful hardware
When the OnePlus 10T was introduced, it quickly attracted some backlash for the missing alert slider. The frenzy was loud enough that the company had to publish an article explaining why it ditched the three-stage switch.
“We know our users expect OnePlus devices to have high wattage charging, a large battery capacity, and better antenna signal. To excel in each of these three areas, the space inside the OnePlus 10T needs to be occupied by new technology,” said the community post.
The alert slider may appear diminutive from the outside, but it takes up roughly 30 millimeters-square worth of space. For smartphones, that’s a lot. By removing it, the motherboard’s layout utilization rate increased from 74% to 78% on the OnePlus 10T.
After ditching the alert slider on the OnePlus 10T, the engineers were able to add more meaningful elements to the package. An extra charging pump enabled faster charging, and also allowed the team to fit a slightly bigger battery.
The absence of an alert slider also opened up space for fitting 15 separate antennas around the phone’s chassis to boost signal reception while playing games. If OnePlus achieves similar results once again by removing the alert slider, I am all for it.
In 2025, when smartphones are getting hungrier for processing firepower and battery juice, even a small bump in battery capacity and increase in the volume of thermal hardware is a welcome move. And let’s not forget those massive multi-lens camera modules.
OnePlus’ sister company, Oppo, had to fit a less powerful zoom camera due to space constraints on the ultra-thin Find N5 foldable phone. I am hoping that with the alert slider gone, OnePlus makes the best use of the available space and delivers meaningful internal upgrades.
A great opportunity to go beyond
“The Alert Slider is a hardware switch. Its function is locked to its physical position, meaning it can’t be reprogrammed or expanded without losing its simplicity,” Lau explains. A physical button can do a lot more than a three-stage physical slider.
It can be customized to perform a wide range of tasks based on how you interact with it. Chores can be assigned to a short-press, long-press, double or triple-press. Complex multi-step shortcuts are also just a click away. You name it.
There’s definitely a precedent for it in the smartphone industry. Even the humble power button can be customized in a similar fashion. For example, it can be pressed five times on a Pixel phone to send an emergency SOS alert.
On the flip side, accidentally pressing on a button can often land you in some weird situations. For a Google Pixel smartphone user, an unintended button press triggered the Emergency SOS and broadcast a real-time clip of them sleeping nude.
Such scenarios are rare, but the functional benefit of a button — and the sheer customizability that comes with it — easily towers over the extremely limited alert slider. Look no further than Apple and its Action Button on iPhones.
The Action Button replaced Apple’s own alert slider, and added a lot more practical flair while at it. The button can switch between sound profiles, enable focus, launch camera, activate Visual Intelligence, turn on flashlight, open an app, or trigger a shortcut, among other actions.
I expect OnePlus to offer a similar level of convenience, if not more, when it introduces its own version of an action button in the near future. I am particularly excited about it as more smart home and AI integrations pop up.
OnePlus has already implemented its fair share of system-wide AI features on its latest flagship phones. I can’t wait for the brand to serve a few clever AI tricks tied to the programmable action button on its upcoming devices.
It started off modest
My first brush with the slider switch was on the OnePlus 2 in 2016. Back then, it actually handled notification profiles instead of sound presets. It allowed users to shuffle between No interruptions, Priority interruptions only, and All notifications presets for showing app and system alerts.
Users had full control over what exactly classifies as a priority notification. There was a dedicated option to select the contacts that will get the priority privilege for incoming calls, while the rest are silenced.
OnePlus even offered a Repeat Caller facility that would allow a call to pass through if the same person rang for a second time within 15 minutes. A similar facility existed for messages, too.
There was a dedicated toggle for events and reminders in the Interruptions dashboard within the Settings app. Over the years, OnePlus made a few changes to the slider behavior.
Not long after, the Do Not Disturb mode was brought into the three-stage physical switch system, and it subsequently folded calls and notifications under the same banner. Yes, iPhones did it, as well, but OnePlus’ implementation was no less fantastic.
Why it’s such a hot favorite
Over the years, OnePlus has refined the alert slider formula, on both hardware and software sides. In its current avatar on the OnePlus 13, it has a beautiful texture on the slider button.
That texture means you won’t be mistaking it for another button while the phone is resting in your pocket or the desk in a dark room. It also adds some much needed grip for the fingertips to comfortably move it across two positions.
The tactile response is fantastic, and the accompanying haptic feedback is also a lovely touch. To go with it, every time you adjust the sound profile, an on-screen bubble also shows what profile you have switched to. I have loved the facility so far.
Silencing notifications and alerts on other phones, especially when you’re in a public place or group gathering, usually involves mashing the volume button to lower the ringer, swiping down the control center, or heading into the Settings app. On OnePlus phones, a quick slider switch did the job.
I can see the promise
The addition of a physical button opens new avenues for functional versatility, far more than what a physical slider can achieve. Being able to launch Gemini’s Live mode or jump straight into AI file analysis with the press of button? Yes, I’ll take that.
Having a physical button to access certain camera modes, or add to the shutter functionality? Yeah, that too. Switching into a desktop environment with a double click on a large foldable screen? I’d love that very much.
I just hope that when OnePlus eventually offers a programmable button, it serves an equally expansive set of customization tools. The company certainly has a history with giving users more software flexibility than the rest, so I am in a fairly optimistic state about the prophesized “function button” right now.
