Remove the Google Search Bar from the Home Screen
After setting up a OnePlus phone, the Google search bar sits fixed at the top of the home screen and takes up space you might want for apps or widgets. It behaves like a widget rather than a system element, so it can be taken off without touching any search functions on the phone. If it keeps coming back after a restart, a launcher setting is usually the reason.
Enable or Disable Color Inversion
When every color on your OnePlus screen suddenly looks reversed, like a photo negative, the Color inversion accessibility feature is usually the cause. This setting flips light and dark tones across the whole display, including photos, videos and app icons. It can be switched on by accident through a shortcut or left active after testing accessibility options.
Change Default Apps
If tapping a link or asking for voice assistance keeps opening the wrong app on your OnePlus phone, a default app assignment is pinned to a tool you no longer want. This happens after installing a new browser, messaging app or voice assistant that never took over the role automatically. The system keeps using the old default until you switch it manually.
Show Device Certification Labels
Looking for the FCC ID or HAC rating on your OnePlus phone but cannot find a physical sticker anywhere on the device? OnePlus stores these regulatory certifications digitally instead of printing them on the back cover. Which labels appear depends on your exact device model and sales region.
Edit Quick Responses in the Phone App
Rejecting a call with a text reply on your OnePlus phone often sends a generic message like 'I will call you back later' that does not fit the situation. The Phone app stores a fixed set of quick responses that rarely match how you actually communicate. Until you edit them, every caller you decline gets the same default text.
Rename SIM Card
When both SIM slots run cards from the same mobile carrier, the phone shows an identical label for each and calls or data usage become hard to tell apart. OxygenOS displays this carrier name by default instead of a custom label. Renaming each SIM card fixes the mix-up without needing to swap slots or restart the phone.
Delete Access Point Name (APN)
A wrong or outdated APN entry on your OnePlus phone can block mobile data or MMS even though your SIM card works fine elsewhere. This often happens after switching providers, since the old carrier's APN stays saved and OxygenOS keeps using it by default. Removing the leftover entry clears the conflict without touching your other network settings.
Add a New Home Screen Page
When every app and folder sits crammed onto one home screen, finding a single icon turns into a scroll-and-squint exercise. OnePlus phones let you spread apps across separate pages instead of piling everything onto one screen. This helps when you want a dedicated page just for messaging apps, games, or work tools.
Show Detailed Battery Usage
If your OnePlus battery screen only lists a few apps since you unplugged the charger, you are not seeing the full picture of what drained your battery. Oxygen OS keeps a more detailed breakdown that covers every app and background process since your last full charge, but it is tucked away from the main battery screen.
Enable or Disable Speak Passwords in TalkBack
If TalkBack reads your password out loud while you type it on your OnePlus, anyone standing nearby can hear it, from a bus seat to a shared office. This happens because the Speak passwords option makes TalkBack announce each character as confirmation for people who cannot see the screen. Depending on where and how you use your phone, you may want this feature active or completely switched off.
Show or Hide Calendar Week Number
When you book a meeting or deadline, you often need the calendar week number, and the OnePlus Calendar app does not show it by default. That forces you to count weeks manually every time you check a date. The Show week number setting controls whether week numbers appear next to the days in your calendar view.
Disable TalkBack
If TalkBack turns every tap into a double-tap and swipes now switch between items instead of scrolling, the accessibility service is still running in the background. Reaching the toggle to stop it feels different from a regular settings visit, since TalkBack itself changes how you interact with menus while it is active.
Set Date Manually
If your OnePlus phone keeps resetting the date to the network value, the automatic time sync is still active in the background. This function pulls the date directly from your carrier and overwrites any manual change you make. You need to disable it before a custom date will actually stick.
Power Button for Quick SOS
If your OnePlus suddenly dials the emergency number after you press the power button several times in a row, the quick SOS option in Security & Privacy is active. This shortcut is meant to speed up emergency calls, but it can trigger by accident in a pocket or bag. Knowing where this setting lives helps you switch between three or five presses, or turn it off completely.
Set Dark or Light Theme for the Messages App
If the Messages app on your OnePlus phone still opens in a bright white layout at night, the built-in theme option is likely set to Light or System default instead of Dark. This app-level 'Choose theme' setting works independently from your phone's overall system theme, so changing one does not automatically change the other. Left on the wrong setting, this means unnecessary eye strain in dark rooms and slightly higher battery drain on an AMOLED screen.
Pocket Mode: Enable or Disable
If your OnePlus phone keeps launching apps, dialing numbers, or waking the screen while it sits in your pocket, the built-in touch protection might be switched off. Pocket mode is meant to lock the display and fingerprint scanner whenever the phone detects it's stowed away, but the toggle can slip back to its default state after an update or reset. Here's what controls the behavior and how to check the current setting.
Change Keyboard Height
If you turned on the extra number row in Gboard, the keyboard on your OnePlus phone can suddenly take up a large chunk of the screen. That leaves less room to read messages while typing and can feel cramped on smaller displays. Gboard offers several height presets, from Extra-short up to Normal and beyond, so you can pick a size that matches your hand and screen.
Restart the Phone
If your OnePlus phone feels sluggish, apps stall in the background, or a fresh update refuses to finish installing, a restart usually clears the mess. Cache buildup and stuck background processes are the most common triggers. A quick restart resets these without touching your data.
Enable Fingerprint Unlock
If you are still typing in your PIN or pattern every time you pick up your OnePlus phone, you are missing the fingerprint sensor built into most models. Fingerprint scanning lets the device recognize you instantly without a code, but it only works once a fingerprint has been enrolled in Security settings. Skipping this step also blocks fingerprint-based app locks and quick approvals for payments.
Add a Birthday to a Contact
Birthdays entered on other phones or synced accounts do not always show up in a OnePlus contact card, especially when the Date field defaults to a different label like Anniversary. Without the correct field type, the birthday reminder never triggers in Calendar or the dialer app. This causes missed birthday notifications even though the date is technically saved somewhere in the contact.
Show or Hide Holidays in the Calendar App
If your OnePlus calendar shows a public holiday on almost every day, actual appointments get pushed down and easy to miss. This happens because the calendar app displays regional and national holidays by default, on top of every synced account. The more accounts you have connected, the more crowded the day view becomes.
Sound & Vibration for Calendar Reminders
Missed calendar reminders on a OnePlus phone are often caused by a disabled sound or vibration setting inside the Calendar app itself, not by the phone's general ringtone. Without an active sound file or vibration pattern, alerts for appointments and events can pass by completely unnoticed.
Enable or Disable App Notification Dot
If a small dot keeps sitting on top of an app icon even after you already read the message or checked the missed call, the Allow notification dot setting is likely active for that app. OxygenOS adds this dot per app whenever a new notification arrives, and it stays visible until the notification is cleared or opened. Some apps show it constantly, which gets distracting if you only want the dot for apps that really need your attention.
Read in Background for Select to Speak
When Select to Speak is reading text aloud on your OnePlus phone, switching to another app usually stops the narration mid-sentence. The Read in background option keeps the voice going while you jump between apps, but it stays an experimental feature that can behave inconsistently. If speech cuts out unexpectedly or keeps running when you do not want it to, this setting is the reason.