Rushil Agrawal / Android Authority
TL;DR
- OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the iconic Alert Slider will be removed from future phones.
- It will be replaced by a customizable button. Users would still be able to switch sound profiles without waking up the device, but they would also be able to do much more.
- Apple introduced an alert slider on the original iPhone in 2007 and replaced it with a customizable button on the iPhone 15 series in 2023.
OnePlus makes some great Android flagships, and it’s one of the few Android OEMs around that has gently evolved its design language over the generations rather than risk stagnating it. Despite this evolution, practically all OnePlus flagships have retained the rather iconic Alert Slider, even though most other mainstream Android phones don’t offer one. This is about to change, as the company has now confirmed that the Alert Slider is going away.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed in a forum post that the Alert Slider will soon be replaced by a customizable button on future devices. Pete doesn’t reveal much information, but we presume this means OnePlus devices and possibly extends to OPPO devices.
The primary reason for getting rid of the Alert Slider appears to be its limitations as a hardware switch that could only switch sound profiles based on its physical position. Users apparently have been asking for greater customizability, but a sliding switch has limitations on what it can be configured for intuitively.
As a result, OnePlus is opting for a “new smart button” for its future devices. This will still be able to switch sound profiles without waking up the device, and users will also be able to customize it to do more. Pete doesn’t share more on what it could do, but leaks have suggested that users will be able to toggle the flashlight, take a screenshot, capture a photo, get help with a translation, and even quickly launch apps.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
If all of this sounds familiar to what Apple is doing with the Action button on newer iPhones, you wouldn’t be wrong. After all, the iconic Alert Slider was also inspired by the original iPhone’s alert slider. Apple has already moved on to a customizable button on the iPhone 15 series in 2023, so OnePlus is a few years behind the curve in taking its inspiration. You can safely blame Apple for OnePlus’ totally original idea of adding an alert slider to its smartphones and then replacing it with a customizable button.
