Thrilled to finally have a piece of the latest flagship killer smartphone from OnePlus? Here’s the ultimate guide to the best OnePlus 5 tips and tricks to help you conquer the beast in all its glory and make the most of your brand new phone.
In a market that is dominated by tech giants such as Samsung, HTC, and LG, a young brand like OnePlus debuted in an unconventional way. The first flagship killer, OnePlus One was released to counter the Galaxy S5, but priced almost half of the latter, which encouraged the brand to sell more than a million units despite the plans to sell only 50,000 units in the first year.
Fast forward to 2017 where the competition continues to be fierce, OnePlus 5 has made its mark within a week of its release. While the 2017 flagship killer isn’t as affordable as its predecessors, it still manages to beat the competing flagship Android smartphones by a couple hundred.
Being marked as the fastest selling device ever made by the company, it's fair to say that plenty of customers are looking for the best OnePlus 5 tips and tricks to try out on their brand new device. From the brand new dual-camera setup to the optimized OxygenOS equipped on the OnePlus 5, here are some of the most useful aspects of the device that every user should try out.
When you tap on the screen while using the camera, you’ll also notice a slider with the brightness icon appear. This slider can be used to adjust the brightness levels of the picture and locked on for the perfect shot. You’ll also notice a circular “1x” icon, a single tap of which can be used to automatically achieve 2x “lossless” zoom featured by OnePlus.
Finally, the Depth effect mode can be activated by swiping to the right of the screen, which helps you get a picture similar to the portrait mode on iPhone 7 Plus. This mode helps you put the focus on a particular object and blur out the background to get a DSLR-worthy shot every time.
From the main screen of your OnePlus 5, head over to the Settings app using the app drawer or the notification screen and scroll down to find “Gestures”. Simply hit the toggle next to the gesture that you want to activate. Furthermore, you can also use on-screen gestures to draw letters and jump directly to specific apps on your device.
From the Settings menu on your OnePlus 5, scroll down to find the “Display” menu and then tap on “Reading Mode” to get started. You can either choose to toggle the feature manually or configure to be automatically activated when using certain apps. To do so, simply checkmark the apps installed on your phone and the next time you open them, the Reading Mode will kick in automatically to make the visual experience comfortable.
While you get to choose your navigation style right from the setup screen, you can choose at any time by heading over to the Settings app. Under the Buttons menu, you can toggle on the “on-screen navigation bar” and get virtual buttons right away. Moreover, you can also use the “Swap buttons” toggle to change the position of the back and recent keys from left to right and vice versa.
To set preferences for the silent and DND mode, head over to “Settings->Alert slider”, where you can access the “Silent” menu to enable or disable alarms, media sounds, and vibration when in silent mode. Similarly, head over to the “Do not disturb” menu to set up exceptions such as calls and messages from starred contacts, repeat callers, events, reminders and more.
To get the night mode activated on your OnePlus 5, head over to Settings->Display and scroll down to activate the “Night mode” toggle. From the same screen, you can automate the night mode by enabling the sunrise-to-sunset feature or set the clock yourself to have the night mode kick in during the sleepy times. You can even use the slider to adjust the blue light filter to make sure that effect is just right on your eyes.
Using the Shelf screen, you get quick access to recent apps, recent contacts, notes, weather notifications and more. By using the “+” icon on the bottom-right corner of the screen, you have the freedom to add third-party widgets to any location on the Shelf and have a bunch of shortcut features and useful information just a swipe away.
Start off by taking a screenshot like you normally would by pressing the Power and Volume Down button simultaneously. As soon as the screenshot is taken, press the button that appears at the bottom of the screenshot and the phone will automatically grab everything on the screen and scroll down automatically until it reaches the end of the page.
Head over to Settings->Status Bar and navigate to the “Icon Manager”, which holds a list of all the elements that pop up on the status bar. From this menu, you can choose to select or deselect icons for alarms, mobile data, Wi-Fi, volume, NFC, VoLTE and many others from showing up on the status bar of your smartphone.
To get started with the tweaking, head over to Settings->Display->Screen Calibration where you will be able to see the Default, sRGB, and Custom color options. You can switch between the first couple of options and preview the changes, or use “Custom color” to make the colors warmer or cooler using the slider and find your visual sweet spot.
Just head over to the calculator app on your OnePlus 5, type in “1+” and hit the “=” sign. We’ll keep the outcome a surprise for you to try out for yourself and enjoy the little nugget of fun hidden in the OxygenOS by OnePlus.
What is your absolute favorite software tweak or hardware feature that makes OnePlus 5 the official flagship killer of 2017? Did we miss out on any of the best OnePlus 5 tips and tricks that deserve to be on the list? Make sure to mention it in the comments below and start your very own OnePlus 5 discussion thread on the Updato Forum right now.
Taking the best pictures
Since the brand new dual-camera setup is the hottest item on the OnePlus 5, let’s jump straight into what it is capable of on the hardware and software end. Starting off with some automatic features, you can lock the auto focus and auto exposure by simply doing a long press on the screen.
When you tap on the screen while using the camera, you’ll also notice a slider with the brightness icon appear. This slider can be used to adjust the brightness levels of the picture and locked on for the perfect shot. You’ll also notice a circular “1x” icon, a single tap of which can be used to automatically achieve 2x “lossless” zoom featured by OnePlus.
Finally, the Depth effect mode can be activated by swiping to the right of the screen, which helps you get a picture similar to the portrait mode on iPhone 7 Plus. This mode helps you put the focus on a particular object and blur out the background to get a DSLR-worthy shot every time.
Implement the on-screen gestures
Gestures have become all the rage recently and OnePlus has packed a bunch of them with its latest smartphone. Similar to its predecessor the OnePlus 3, you can find a slew of gestures such as flip to mute, three-finger screenshot, double tap to wake, gestures to activate the flashlight and camera etc.
From the main screen of your OnePlus 5, head over to the Settings app using the app drawer or the notification screen and scroll down to find “Gestures”. Simply hit the toggle next to the gesture that you want to activate. Furthermore, you can also use on-screen gestures to draw letters and jump directly to specific apps on your device.
Enable the Reading Mode
There are plenty of ways you can make your Android into an e-book reader, but OnePlus 5 makes the entire ordeal so much simpler. There’s a Reader Mode baked right into the OxygenOS that uses the ambient light sensor on the phone to tweak the color temperatures and makes the display screen far more comfortable on your eyes during a long and leisurely reading session.
From the Settings menu on your OnePlus 5, scroll down to find the “Display” menu and then tap on “Reading Mode” to get started. You can either choose to toggle the feature manually or configure to be automatically activated when using certain apps. To do so, simply checkmark the apps installed on your phone and the next time you open them, the Reading Mode will kick in automatically to make the visual experience comfortable.
Choose your navigation preference
With even the iconic navigation buttons from the Samsung’s Galaxy lineup gone, there are only a handful Android devices left that do not offer on-screen navigation buttons. OnePlus has kept one of its most cherished features alive in the OnePlus 5, which is the ability to choose between the physical navigation buttons on the right and left of the fingerprint sensor, or enable on-screen navigation buttons for ease of use.
While you get to choose your navigation style right from the setup screen, you can choose at any time by heading over to the Settings app. Under the Buttons menu, you can toggle on the “on-screen navigation bar” and get virtual buttons right away. Moreover, you can also use the “Swap buttons” toggle to change the position of the back and recent keys from left to right and vice versa.
Configure the Alert Slider
Every smartphone has its unique selling point, and one of the many that the OnePlus brand has sported for the past couple of years is the Alert Slider. Similar to the Silent Switch on the iPhone, this toggle button on the upper-left side of the OnePlus 5 enables you to toggle between loud, vibrate, and silent profiles with a single flick. The lower position of the Alert Slider is set to default, the middle position puts it in silent mode and moving it all the way up enables the “Do not disturb” mode.
To set preferences for the silent and DND mode, head over to “Settings->Alert slider”, where you can access the “Silent” menu to enable or disable alarms, media sounds, and vibration when in silent mode. Similarly, head over to the “Do not disturb” menu to set up exceptions such as calls and messages from starred contacts, repeat callers, events, reminders and more.
Comfortable viewing with Night Mode
Blue light filters certainly aren’t a new feature on the modern range of Android devices, and while OnePlus has offered this feature since last year, it’s become ever better. Rather than having to toggle the night mode switch from the notification menu every time like a caveman, the OnePlus 5 comes manages your display hues automatically when the sun sets and rises.
To get the night mode activated on your OnePlus 5, head over to Settings->Display and scroll down to activate the “Night mode” toggle. From the same screen, you can automate the night mode by enabling the sunrise-to-sunset feature or set the clock yourself to have the night mode kick in during the sleepy times. You can even use the slider to adjust the blue light filter to make sure that effect is just right on your eyes.
Enjoy undisturbed gaming
Mobile gaming has a come a long way, but the constant bombardment of notifications does make us realize its limitations. Samsung created a nifty Game Mode of Galaxy devices to battle this problem, and OnePlus has realized the potential of it, which is why the OnePlus 5 comes with its very own Gaming Do Not Disturb feature. The Gaming DND mode is baked right into OxygenOS, so head over to Settings->Advanced->Gaming Do Not Disturb and activate it. Once you have this feature enabled, it will stop any notifications from popping up on the screen during your mobile gaming session. Furthermore, the capacitive buttons can also be put on a lockdown so you don’t end up making an accidental tap during the gameplay.Organize with Shelf
Another useful unique feature that OnePlus has developed is the Shelf screen on the left side of the home screen, which helps you organize widgets in a single place. The same great feature comes to OnePlus 5 with some excellent upgrades which can be called upon from the home screen by simply swiping right.
Using the Shelf screen, you get quick access to recent apps, recent contacts, notes, weather notifications and more. By using the “+” icon on the bottom-right corner of the screen, you have the freedom to add third-party widgets to any location on the Shelf and have a bunch of shortcut features and useful information just a swipe away.
Taking extra-long screenshots
Screenshots are so useful, but the only thing better than a screenshot is a super long screenshot that saves you to the time of grabbing multiple ones. Taking the idea of scrolling screenshots from Galaxy Note devices and adding their two cents to it, OnePlus 5 comes with the ability to take screenshots of entire pages in a single sweep.
Start off by taking a screenshot like you normally would by pressing the Power and Volume Down button simultaneously. As soon as the screenshot is taken, press the button that appears at the bottom of the screenshot and the phone will automatically grab everything on the screen and scroll down automatically until it reaches the end of the page.
Secure box for added privacy
We’ve all got our secret data and private pictures that need to be tucked away in a safe corner. Samsung already has the Secure Folder to take care of private content, and now OnePlus 5 does as well, thanks to the Secure box. However, unlike the Secure Folder on Samsung, the Secure box isn’t an individual app, but a part of the file manager app that comes preinstalled on the device. Head over to the app drawer and open the File Manager app to find the Secure box menu on the screen. You’ll have to start off by creating a PIN to access the secure box and once you’ve done that, you can use it to store anything from images and videos to documents and files safely away from the prying eyes.Cleaning out status bar
Having the Bluetooth icon and VoLTE light up on the status bar is great for when you need to know they’re active. But for those who prefer a minimalist look on their device through and through, OnePlus 5 offers a great way to clear out the clutter from the status bar. By using this built-in tweak of the OxygenOS, you can remove some (or all) the icons from the status bar for a sleek and clean look.
Head over to Settings->Status Bar and navigate to the “Icon Manager”, which holds a list of all the elements that pop up on the status bar. From this menu, you can choose to select or deselect icons for alarms, mobile data, Wi-Fi, volume, NFC, VoLTE and many others from showing up on the status bar of your smartphone.
Calibrate the display
Joining the ranks of most modern high-end smartphones, OnePlus has implemented the revered AMOLED displays on the OnePlus 3T and now the OnePlus 5 as well. Apart from better visual details and battery-friendly features, this display is capable of being fine-tuned based on individual preferences. Using the Screen Calibration feature on the phone, you can choose from the preset modes or customize the RGB scale for comfort.
To get started with the tweaking, head over to Settings->Display->Screen Calibration where you will be able to see the Default, sRGB, and Custom color options. You can switch between the first couple of options and preview the changes, or use “Custom color” to make the colors warmer or cooler using the slider and find your visual sweet spot.
Honorable mention – OnePlus easter egg
If you’ve been a OnePlus patron since the very beginning and feel you know everything there is to know, there’s one easter egg you might have skipped. Similar to how Google hides a piece of its spirit in the “About” section of the Android OS, OnePlus has something mildly cool hidden in the calculator app.
Just head over to the calculator app on your OnePlus 5, type in “1+” and hit the “=” sign. We’ll keep the outcome a surprise for you to try out for yourself and enjoy the little nugget of fun hidden in the OxygenOS by OnePlus.
What is your absolute favorite software tweak or hardware feature that makes OnePlus 5 the official flagship killer of 2017? Did we miss out on any of the best OnePlus 5 tips and tricks that deserve to be on the list? Make sure to mention it in the comments below and start your very own OnePlus 5 discussion thread on the Updato Forum right now.