OnePlus says goodbye to Alert Slider, this replaces it
OnePlus phones traditionally came with a slider on the side. With this Alert Slider, you can easily set the device to silent, vibrate or sound. Convenient because you don't have to dove into the settings for it. But the slider is going to disappear. The button is not smart enough, according to OnePlus.
But it's not all bad news; something is coming in its place. A button with the same functionality as the Alert Slider, but even more capable. A "smarter, customizable button," said Pete Lau of OnePlus.
That Pete Lau writes a whole blog post about it to justify this action says how much OnePlus and its fans value the button. OnePlus does not want to disappoint these people and with this seems to be preparing them for what is to come. OnePlus has also learned from the past with this. For example, it released the OnePlus 10T without the Alert Slider, and that landed them a lot of criticism from the community.
One of the most common requests we've heard over the years? "Let me customize the Alert Slider." And honestly, I wanted that too
Personalizable button
So in its place will be a customizable button. One that can still adjust the sound profile, but in addition can do more. What exactly, is not made clear from the blog post. Except that it will make users' lives easier. Personally, we hope it will soon be able to fold laundry for you, but I guess that's too much to hope for.
Possibly OnePlus will opt for a button similar to Apple's Action Button. You can set it up entirely to your liking from within the software. For example, one click could perform one action, and a double click could perform another. Perhaps the button will even be touch-sensitive so it will also recognize a swipe.
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Which button and what functionality it gets will only become clear from the OnePlus 14 or 13T. But those phones are a long way off at this point. We'll keep an eye on it for you in the meantime.
