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OnePlus

Guides for OnePlus 5T

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Notifications & Focus

Change the Ringtone

If every call sounds the same on your OnePlus, you are probably still using the default system tone. Dual SIM users run into a different problem: both SIM cards ring identically, so there is no way to tell which line is calling. OxygenOS lets you assign a separate ringtone to each SIM, but the option sits a few taps deep in the sound settings, not in the SIM manager.

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Network & Connectivity

Select Network Manually

Traveling abroad often means your OnePlus phone locks onto a foreign carrier with weak signal instead of a stronger one nearby. The automatic network search behind this behavior does not always pick the best available operator. Turning off automatic selection lets you choose a specific network yourself.

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Calls & Messages

Dial Pad Tones: Enable or Disable

Every digit you tap on the OnePlus dial pad triggers a short tone, and that beep stays audible even with the ringer on silent. If you find the sound distracting in meetings or public places, the dial pad tone comes from a separate toggle that has nothing to do with your ringtone or notification sounds.

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Network & Connectivity

Set Up a VPN Connection

If your OnePlus phone connects to public Wi-Fi or you need to reach a company network from outside the office, an unprotected connection leaves your traffic open to snooping. A VPN profile encrypts that traffic and can route it through a server in another region, but only works once the correct server details are entered on the device. Without those details, the connection fails or falls back to your regular network.

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Apps & Installation

Set App Time Limits

If a game or social app keeps eating more of your day than you planned, screen time alone will not fix that. OnePlus phones running OxygenOS include an app timer inside Digital Wellbeing that locks an app once its daily allowance runs out. Without setting a limit, the app stays fully accessible no matter how long you use it.

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Other

Change Font Style

Stuck with whatever font style you picked when you first set up your OnePlus? Switching it later does not require a factory reset, but the option sits inside a settings area that is easy to overlook. OxygenOS ships with only two fonts, Roboto and OnePlus Slate, so the actual change takes seconds once you find the right menu.

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Apps & Installation

Add an App Shortcut to the Home Screen

When the app drawer is turned on, your home screen stays mostly empty and every app only shows up in the full overview list. That means an extra swipe and tap each time you want to open something you use daily. Adding a direct shortcut fixes that without switching off the drawer.

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Language & Input

Enable or Disable Google Voice Typing

If dictation stays greyed out on your OnePlus keyboard or the microphone icon simply refuses to appear, Google voice typing is likely switched off in your keyboard settings. The feature converts spoken words into text for messages, emails and notes, but it only works once it is active for your virtual keyboard. A locked device after a restart can also block access until you unlock it first.

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Security & Privacy

Disable Lock Screen Password

If your OnePlus phone still asks for a pattern, PIN or password every time you wake the screen, the lock screen security feature is still active. This also keeps fingerprint and face unlock tied to that passcode, so removing it wipes any saved biometric data. You need your current unlock method on hand before you can turn the request off.

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Other

Enable or Disable Switch Access

If touch input is not an option for you, controlling a OnePlus phone can feel out of reach. Switch Access lets you navigate, select items, scroll and type using an external switch connected over USB or Bluetooth instead of tapping the screen. Turning the feature on or off happens in the accessibility settings, not through a hidden gesture.

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Battery & Power

Enable or Disable Battery Saver

When your OnePlus phone drains faster than usual, background apps, animations and sync jobs are often still running at full power. Battery Saver throttles that activity to stretch the remaining charge, and it can also switch on by itself at a set time, for example overnight while the phone is idle.

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Notifications & Focus

Change Notification Sound

If the same notification tone keeps going off for every text, WhatsApp message or app alert on your OnePlus phone, it is easy to start tuning it out. OxygenOS comes with a handful of preset tones, and you can add your own audio files once those feel repetitive. The setting that controls this sits a few taps deep in the sound options, which is why many people never change it.

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Security & Privacy

Allow or Deny System Settings Permission

Some apps on your OnePlus phone ask to change system settings on their own, like the wallpaper or ringtone. This permission only covers those convenience settings and has no effect on security features such as the screen lock.

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Network & Connectivity

Enable or Disable Smart Answer for Bluetooth

If your OnePlus phone keeps ringing on your Bluetooth headset instead of picking up calls on its own, the Smart Answer for Bluetooth feature is probably switched off. Some car kits and speaker systems only work smoothly when a call connects automatically, without you tapping a button. A wired headset or a different earphone mode can also leave this setting in the wrong state.

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Notifications & Focus

Change Alarm Volume

If your OnePlus phone barely wakes you up, the alarm might still be tied to your media volume level. OnePlus lets you adjust the alarm tone on its own scale with seven volume steps, independent of whatever you last set for music or games. That means a quiet media setting from the night before won't leave you oversleeping in the morning.

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Notifications & Focus

Allow Calls in Do Not Disturb Mode

If Do Not Disturb on your OnePlus phone silences calls from people who actually need to reach you, the default setup is blocking everyone by mistake. Call and message exceptions in Do Not Disturb are handled separately, so muting WhatsApp or SMS alerts does not automatically decide who can still call you. Adjusting the call exception lets you pick between all contacts, only favorites, or nobody at all.

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Calls & Messages

Change Calendar View

By default, the Calendar app on OnePlus phones opens with a combined overview of every added account, which makes it hard to see a full month at a glance. If you only need a quick daily rundown or a compact weekly plan instead, the current view setting is working against you. This applies to all accounts synced into the app, not just one calendar.

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Calls & Messages

Change Default Messaging App

If your OnePlus keeps opening the stock Messages app instead of the messenger you actually installed, the phone is still pointing to the old default handler. Notifications, quick replies and even the share sheet stay tied to whichever app holds that role, no matter which one you prefer to type in. Switching the default only takes a moment, but the option sits a few menus deep in the system settings.

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Security & Privacy

Enable or Disable Find My Device

If your OnePlus goes missing and Google's Find My Device page marks it as offline, the tracking feature is probably switched off in your security settings. Without it active, you can't locate, ring, lock, or erase the phone remotely from a browser or another device.

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Other

Change Select to Speak Voice Speed and Language

When Select to Speak reads text out loud, the voice can sound too slow, too fast, or in the wrong language for what you actually need. Just like TalkBack, this feature relies on the system Text to speech engine, and its sliders for rate and pitch are easy to overlook. Getting the reading speed and language right makes selected text far more usable in daily situations.

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Accounts & Cloud

Remove an Account on OnePlus

Old logins pile up in the account overview on your OnePlus phone and make it harder to spot the ones you actually use. Removing an account deletes its login credentials and any data that was synced through it, while the app it belongs to stays installed. This matters most for accounts like WhatsApp or Facebook, where contacts, messages, or cloud-synced content tied to that login disappear from the device once it's removed.

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Security & Privacy

Change Lock Screen Clock Style

If the default lock screen clock on your OnePlus phone looks plain, you don't have to keep it. Some styles only show digits, while others add an analog face or a date line underneath the time. Which one fits depends on a setting most people never open.

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Display & Home Screen

Resize a Widget

Some widgets on your OnePlus home screen refuse to shrink past a certain point, while others leave awkward empty space you cannot fill. The resize behavior depends entirely on how the widget was built, and not every widget supports free scaling. Knowing which widgets are flexible saves you from rearranging your whole home screen for nothing.

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Calls & Messages

Call History Name Format Setting

If contacts in your call history show up as Last, First instead of First Last (or the other way around), it usually comes down to a display setting in the Phone app, not the contact entries themselves. This mix-up gets confusing fast when you are scanning recent calls for a specific person. The fix does not touch your saved contacts, only how names are displayed in the call list.

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