Empty the Recycle Bin in Gallery
Deleted photos and videos on OnePlus phones sit in the Recently deleted folder for 30 days before they disappear automatically. If storage keeps filling up despite deleting files, that hidden folder is often the reason. Clearing it manually frees up space right away.
Enable or Disable Three-Finger Screenshot
Taking a screenshot on your OnePlus normally means pressing Volume down and the Power button at the same time, which is fiddly with one hand or when a case covers the buttons. The Three-finger screenshot gesture offers an alternative by swiping down across the screen with three fingers. If that swipe suddenly stops working, or triggers by accident while gaming, the setting behind it usually needs a quick check.
Enable or Disable Reading Mode
If your OnePlus screen still feels harsh on the eyes at night, or photos and videos look washed out during the day, Reading mode is probably set the wrong way for how you use the phone. This feature swaps cool blue tones for warmer colors to ease eye strain, but picking the wrong effect can leave images looking flat or overly warm. Switching between Chromatic effect and Mono effect changes how much color stays visible while reading.
Enable or Disable Picture-in-Picture Mode
If a video keeps floating over other apps when you did not ask for it, or a media app refuses to shrink into a small window while you check messages, picture-in-picture permission is likely the cause. This mode lets one app overlay another in a movable box, but each app needs its own permission toggle to use it. Once that toggle gets switched off for an app, the floating window simply stops showing up, even if the app itself supports the feature.
Delete Photos and Videos
Storage filling up on your OnePlus usually comes down to old photos and videos nobody looks at anymore. Deleting them from the Gallery app does not remove them right away though, since OnePlus keeps a safety copy for a while before space is actually freed up.
Change Camera Mode
If the OnePlus camera keeps opening in the wrong mode, or you cannot find the switch between Photo, Video and Pro, the mode bar at the bottom of the viewfinder is easy to overlook. Many users only ever tap the shutter button and never realize the row of mode labels above it can be swiped or tapped directly. Knowing exactly where that bar sits saves time whenever you need to switch quickly between stills and video.
Create an Album for Photos or Videos
When photos and videos from trips, screenshots, and app downloads all land in the same Gallery feed, finding a specific shot later gets tedious. OnePlus Gallery groups everything by date by default, with no automatic sorting by topic or event. Creating a named album under Collections lets you group related media manually, but the name you pick sticks unless you go back and edit it.
Record Screen as Video
Trying to capture a game session or a quick tutorial on your OnePlus, but you can't find a working screen recorder in the app drawer? The built-in Screen recorder tool sits inside the quick settings, not as a separate app, which is why many people miss it. Once it's running, a small floating control appears on screen, and tapping the wrong spot can stop the recording before you're done.
Camera Timer: Set the Self-Timer
If your OnePlus photos always fire the instant you tap the shutter, you end up cut out of group shots or with a shaky, blurred frame. The camera app has a built-in countdown for exactly this, but it is easy to miss because it sits in a small icon at the top of the viewfinder. Without it, every family photo depends on someone else holding the phone.
Show or Hide the Specs Watermark in Photos
Photos from your OnePlus camera sometimes carry a small text stamp in the lower left corner naming the device model and camera technology. If you want a clean image without that branding, or you want it back for sharing, the toggle sits inside the camera app itself. Not knowing where to look often means people just live with photos they did not choose the look of.
Delete an Album in Gallery
Old collections pile up in the Gallery app and take up space you want back. Before you tap Delete on an album, it helps to know that removing it wipes every photo and video stored inside, not just the album itself. Mixing up 'delete album' with 'remove from collection' can cost you files you actually wanted to keep.
Apply Camera Filters
If your photos still look flat despite good lighting, the built-in camera filters on your OnePlus phone can add a distinct look before you even hit the shutter. The filter selection sits inside the Camera app but is easy to miss if you have not tapped into the filter menu before. Color, black and white and several stylized looks are all available without leaving the viewfinder.
Record a Video with the Camera App
Switching from photo to video mode on your OnePlus camera looks simple, but many people miss the pause control that sits right next to the shutter button once recording starts. Without knowing where it is, you risk stopping a clip too early or losing a moment you cannot repeat. The video toolbar behaves differently from photo mode, and that catches people off guard.
Set the Rear Camera Video Resolution
If video recordings fill up your OnePlus storage faster than expected, the active video resolution and frame rate are usually the cause. Higher resolutions and higher FPS values produce noticeably larger files per minute of footage. Checking the current setting helps you balance quality against free storage before you start recording.
Change Long-Press Shutter Action
Holding down the shutter button in the OnePlus Camera app instantly starts a video recording instead of taking a photo. If you actually want a quick burst of shots when you press and hold, the camera is simply set to the wrong long-press action.
Audio Balance: Left/Right Adjustment
If one ear picks up sound noticeably louder than the other on your OnePlus phone, calls and media can feel unbalanced or tiring to listen to. This often happens with slight hearing differences between ears or with headphones that sit unevenly. OxygenOS lets you shift the output continuously toward one side instead of living with the imbalance.
Move Photos and Videos to an Album
New photos and videos on your OnePlus phone land straight in the camera folder instead of the album you actually want them in. Sorting them out by hand afterward gets tedious once you have dozens of files to organize. The Gallery app offers a direct way to relocate or duplicate them without leaving the app.
Restore Deleted Photos and Videos
When a photo or video disappears from your OnePlus Gallery, it usually is not gone for good right away. Oxygen OS moves deleted media into a Recently deleted folder first, and only clears it out automatically after a set number of days. If that window has already closed, the file is permanently removed and no longer recoverable through the Gallery app.
Enable or Disable Mono Audio
If music or videos suddenly play through only one speaker with both channels squeezed together, Mono audio is likely active on your OnePlus. This accessibility setting merges the stereo channels so left and right output the identical signal. It helps with hearing loss in one ear, but it also removes stereo separation from calls, games and media playback.
Use Google Lens in the Camera App
If the camera viewfinder does not recognize landmarks, text or products on its own, Google Lens is probably still hidden inside the camera shortcuts. On OnePlus phones running Oxygenos, Lens sits as a separate option in the Camera app and only scans the frame once you tap it and pick a category.
Enable or Disable Double-Click Power Button Camera Launch
If double-clicking the power button on your OnePlus keeps launching the camera by accident, or nothing happens when you try it, the Double click the power button setting is set to the wrong option. This shortcut works from the lock screen and while the phone is unlocked, and it also decides whether you can swipe in to check your latest photo or video right after taking it.
Set Camera Aspect Ratio
If your photos come out square when you wanted a wide landscape shot, or a portrait leaves odd black bars, the camera aspect ratio on your OnePlus is probably set wrong for what you are shooting. The Camera app offers different formats depending on your phone screen ratio, and the wrong pick crops out parts of the scene or adds unwanted space around your subject. Switching between 4:3, Full and 1:1 changes exactly how much of the frame actually gets saved.
Turn Camera Flash On, Off or Auto
If your OnePlus keeps firing the flash in a bright room or refuses to light up in the dark, the flash mode inside the Camera app is set wrong. The rear flash can run permanently on, stay off, or switch itself on only when the sensor detects low light. Getting the mode right saves battery and stops shots from turning out too dark or overexposed.
Rearrange Camera Modes
If your OnePlus camera swipe bar is cluttered with modes you never use, finding Portrait or Night mode quickly gets annoying. The order and selection of visible camera modes is not fixed and can be customized through the Custom modes settings. Modes you rarely need can be hidden, while your favorites move closer to the main shutter view.