OnePlus Teases What Its 'Plus Key' Can Do, But Just Makes It Look Like An IPhone Ripoff [Video]

The iconic Alert Slider is dead, and OnePlus is now replacing it with the “Plus Key” and it all looks pretty familiar.

OnePlus announced earlier this year that the Alert Slider would be going away on its future devices, instead replaced by a new shortcut button. That’s called the “Plus Key,” as we found out on the OnePlus 13s.

In a teaser posted to Twitter/X earlier this month (and just recently resurfaced by Pete Lau), OnePlus shows what the “Plus Key” can do.

The brief 10-second video shows that users can customize the “Plus Key” to change ringer modes, activate Do Not Disturb, open the camera, turn on the flashlight, (presumably) mute the microphone, open a translation feature, and seemingly take a screenshot. Predictably, there’s also some kind of AI feature shown, but it’s unclear what that may do.

The UI shown, though, is nearly identical to the Action Button UI used to customize the shortcut key on recent iPhones. It’s hard to believe that’s a coincidence, especially as it already felt like this swap was made just to be more similar to the iPhone anyway.

Thankfully, there are some differences in the actual software UI. In a blog post that went under the radar, OnePlus shows that it at least created its own UI for customizing what the “Plus Key” does. And, of course, the brand teases that AI is involved.

Unlike traditional hardware switches with fixed functions, the Plus Key is intelligent and customizable. That means you decide what it does and as your needs change, so can the button.
With OnePlus AI, Plus Key is more than just a shortcut, it’s a gateway to something smarter. It adds to your experience in ways that go beyond the obvious. Whether it’s your daily habits or the little things you do without thinking, the Plus Key quietly adapts and evolves with you. One press today. A whole new way to interact with your phone tomorrow.

The OnePlus 13s (also called the 13T in China) is the first device with the “Plus Key,” but it will presumably show up on future OnePlus devices, including the eventual OnePlus 13 successor.

As a reminder, the OnePlus 13T/s is not coming to the United States or Europe.