OnePlus is set to revolutionize its smartphone design and functionality by replacing the longstanding Alert Slider with a new, customizable button known as the Plus Key. This change marks a significant shift in the brand’s approach to user interaction and device customization.
The Evolution from Alert Slider to Plus Key
Since its debut in 2015 with the OnePlus 2, the Alert Slider has been a distinctive feature of OnePlus smartphones, allowing users to effortlessly switch between sound profiles—silent, vibrate, and ring—without unlocking their devices. However, in March 2025, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau announced the company’s decision to phase out the Alert Slider in favor of a more versatile and customizable button. Lau emphasized that this move is not merely a removal but an evolution aimed at enhancing user experience by providing greater flexibility and control over device functions. ([gsmarena.com](https://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_is_axing_the_alert_slider_-news-66879.php?utm_source=openai))
Introducing the Plus Key
The Plus Key is designed to offer a broader range of functionalities beyond the traditional sound profile adjustments. Users can customize this button to perform various tasks, including:
– Switching between sound profiles (General, Silent, Do Not Disturb)
– Launching the camera application
– Activating the flashlight
– Initiating voice recordings
– Triggering real-time AI translation tools
– Capturing screenshots
This level of customization empowers users to tailor their devices to their specific needs and preferences, enhancing overall usability. ([gizmochina.com](https://www.gizmochina.com/2025/05/09/oneplus-13s-plus-key-details-revealed/?utm_source=openai))
Integration with AI Features
In addition to the Plus Key, OnePlus is introducing a suite of AI-driven features aimed at streamlining user interactions and boosting productivity:
– Plus Mind: This feature allows users to save, catalog, and recall important information displayed on their screens. By pressing the Plus Key or swiping up with three fingers, users can capture details such as schedules, event information, or reservations. The AI intelligently organizes this content into a dedicated Mind Space, making it easily accessible for future reference.
– AI VoiceScribe: Initially available in India, this tool enables users to record, summarize, and translate calls and meetings directly within popular messaging, video, and online meeting applications.
– AI Call Assistant: Also launching in India, this feature offers automatic call summaries and real-time call translation during conversations, enhancing communication across different languages.
– AI Translation: This consolidated app integrates text, live voice, camera-based, and screen translation capabilities, simplifying the process of understanding foreign languages and facilitating global connections.
– AI Search: Utilizing natural language processing, AI Search allows users to perform conversational queries, seamlessly searching local files, settings, notes, and calendars for contextually relevant results. Integrated with Plus Mind, it enhances productivity through intuitive, interactive searches.
– AI Reframe: This feature intelligently analyzes photo scenes, identifies the subject, and suggests optimal framing, ensuring that users capture the best possible shots.
– AI Best Face 2.0: An enhancement to group photography, this tool ensures that all subjects in a photo have their eyes open and are smiling, even in group shots of up to 20 people.
These AI features are designed to work in tandem with the Plus Key, providing users with a more personalized and efficient smartphone experience.
Privacy and Data Security
Understanding the importance of user privacy, OnePlus has developed the Private Computing Cloud system. This system combines local processing with cloud capabilities, employing end-to-end encryption and granting users full control over their data. By processing sensitive information locally and securely, OnePlus aims to provide a seamless AI experience without compromising user privacy. ([los40.com](https://los40.com/2025/05/26/oneplus-se-sube-al-tren-de-la-ia-personalizada-con-plus-key-y-plus-mind/?utm_source=openai))
Rollout and Availability
The Plus Key will debut on the OnePlus 13s in India, a device that shares its design and features with the OnePlus 13T previously launched in China. OnePlus has confirmed that the Plus Key is planned to roll out across all OnePlus smartphones launching this year, indicating a significant shift in the brand’s hardware design philosophy.
By replacing the Alert Slider with the customizable Plus Key and integrating advanced AI features, OnePlus is positioning itself at the forefront of smartphone innovation. This strategic move reflects the company’s commitment to enhancing user experience through personalization and intelligent technology, setting a new standard for smartphone functionality.
