OnePlus dumps its famous Alert Slider but it’s for one very good reason

If you’ve ever owned a OnePlus flagship phone then you’ll be familiar with the alert slider – it’s an easy way to switch the phone into silent when it’s in your pocket and it’s always been a feature I’m surprised more Android phone makers didn’t adopt.

Now though, the button has been axed, starting with the OnePlus 13s which will be available in India after a 5 June launch.

This phone isn’t coming to the US or Europe, though it will have implications for countries outside India since it’s the first OnePlus phone to replace the Alert Slider with a new button – known as the Plus Key. And to avoid any confusion, the company confirmed it will be coming to “all OnePlus smartphones launching this year.”

However, the main use for it is to add webpages, messages and other bookmarkable info to a baked-in feature known as the Plus Mind. Nothing also has something similar, known as Essential Space.

Essentially, it’s a bit like a catalog for all your key info, an alternative to saving things in apps like Google Keep or Microsoft OneNote. Much like other vendors, OnePlus is toting this as increasing personalisation.

This transition is very similar to the Action Button change on Apple’s iPhone and like that button you can also choose its function (so you can keep using it to silence your phone if you want), start the camera or begin translation.

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And, if you map the button to an alternative use, you can swipe up with three fingers to add things to your Plus Mind instead. This gesture means that Plus Mind will also come to the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R as well (since there is obviously no dedicated Plus Key) via a software update.

You’re also able to use the feature to extract information. So it could use it to extract event info from an image and add it to your calendar for example.

Of course, this is all part of OnePlus AI – the company’s somewhat belated push into AI features. But while it might be somewhat later than many rivals, it is offering a lot of the same features as others. And aside from some image editing shortcuts, there’s no real evidence that AI tricks are proving a hit with consumers.

Additional OnePlus AI features coming this year

• AI VoiceScribe: Enables users to record, summarise, and translate calls and meetings directly within popular messaging, video, and online meeting applications.
• AI Call Assistant (coming to India only for now): On the OnePlus 13s, the OnePlus Dialer will offer options for automatic Call Summaries or real-time Call Translation during calls.
• AI Translation: Consolidates all translation capabilities – text, live voice, camera-based, and screen translation – into a single, intuitive app, making it easier to understand foreign languages and connect globally.
• AI Search: AI Search enables conversational, natural language queries, seamlessly searching local files, settings, notes, and calendars for contextually relevant results. Integrated with AI Plus Mind, it enhances productivity through intuitive, interactive searches.
• AI Reframe: Intelligently analyses photo scenes, identifies the subject, and adjusts composition, generating multiple creative framing options for users to choose from.
• AI Best Face 2.0 (coming this summer through an update): Enhances group photos by automatically detecting and correcting issues like closed eyes or suboptimal expressions for more polished results. This feature supports images with up to 20 individuals and works even with photos captured on other devices.

OnePlus is also adding Google Gemini integration, similar to parent company Oppo and it will work across OnePlus’ own apps as well as Google’s ones.

On device AI processing is prioritised where more sensitive information is used, although the company states that its own private cloud will keep data private.

The company also says it recently rolled out support for Oppo’s O+ Connect for the OnePlus 13R which enables uses to do file transfers and more between their OnePlus device and MacOS computer, either through the O+ Connect app, or via a drag and drop interface in the Finder.