The OnePlus X was released a little while back and has gained a lot of attention because of its respectable specs as well as an enticing price point. There are a lot of features available on this great smartphone but most of them are buried in settings. This article aims to give you some great tips and tricks for OnePlus X so that you’ll be able to use it to full capacity. OnePlus X is a midrange smartphone but has some of the best specs we have seen on a midrange device. The 5-inch screen with a full HD resolution looks gorgeous. Partially because it’s an AMOLED panel and partially because of the 441 PPI pixel density. It is also one of the lightest smartphones available on the market coming at only 138 g. If you’re looking for a great performer and an affordable price, OnePlus X is one of the best options available on the market. So let’s start talking about the tips and tricks for OnePlus X right now.
1. Enable on Screen Buttons
One of the worst things about the OnePlus X you may notice is that it has capacitive buttons but they do not light up. This is some serious cost-cutting method used by the company but at least they have included the capacitive buttons. If you are coming from a Nexus device, you are maybe more used to seeing on screen buttons on your smartphones. In all honesty, the capacitive buttons on the OnePlus X are hard to hit the first few days because of no backlight. Thankfully, the company has included an option to turn on the screen buttons on the smartphone. To turn them on, go to Settings >Buttons > Enable on Screen Navigation Bar. After that, you will be able to use the on-screen buttons.
2. Home Button Always Works
If you have enabled on screen buttons but still want to use the home button located on the bottom panel just below the screen, you can do so as well. Simply navigate to Settings >Buttons >Always Enable Home Button. Now you will be able to use the physical home button along with software back in menu keys.
3. Double Tap To Wake Up
You can wake the smartphone without even touching the power button by simply double tapping on the screen. This feature can be enabled by going to Settings > Gestures > Double Tap to wake.
4. Proximity Wake
You can wake up your OnePlus X simply by waving a hand above it. This feature is called proximity wake, it basically detects that you are near and wakes up the smartphone. To enable it, go to Settings > Display>Proximity Wake. It is a great feature to use especially when your hands are dirty and you just want to use the already open cookbook.
5. Use USB OTG Storage
Did you know you that you can use an on the go cable to attach any USB device to your Android smartphone? You can even use a USB pen drive with your smartphone if need be. This feature is called on the go, and it is very useful especially when moving larger files. The OnePlus X supports it completely and can even power up a USB mouse. Get this feature, Go to Settings >Storage > OTG Storage. Now you’ll simply be able to use any USB flash drive with your smartphone.
6. LED Notifications
The OnePlus X comes with a great LED notification light. It gives you the ability to simply glance at your smartphone and know what you have missed. For example, if you have missed a phone call you can see the light blinking on your smartphone and instantly know something has been missed. This feature is available on almost every Android smartphone, but OnePlus X takes it a little bit further by allowing you to select the notification colors yourself. To do so, go to Settings >Customization >LED Notifications. Unfortunately, there are only eight colors available in this feature but we can’t complain about more choice now can we.
7. Volume Buttons in Camera Mode
Did you know that you can use the volume buttons in the camera mode to perform various functions? You press the volume buttons to take pictures and even start or stop recording video. It’s a great feature to use especially if you are taking selfies because naturally your fingers/thumb will be on the volume buttons.
8. Gesture Control
The OnePlus X comes with some excellent gesture controls built natively into the operating system. We have already listed the double tap to wake feature that allows you to turn on the display simply by tapping on the screen. Another great gesture available on the device is open camera one. Simply draw a circle on the screen and the camera app will open immediately. What if you want to turn on the flashlight? You can do that as well by drawing a ‘V’ shape on the screen. You can use it even when the screen is turned off and the phone is asleep. But one of the best gestures available on this device is the music control one. Simply drawing two lines with fingers on the screen will play or pause the music. Drawing a “<”or “>” will allow you to change tracks.
9. Battery Display
A lot of people take great care in the way their device looks. It is quite understandable and I also partake in this customization frenzy from time to time. The OnePlus X allows you to change the battery display style on the notification bar. While this is not a big feature, it still comes in handy when customizing your phone to your own liking. You can display a battery bar that looks like a normal battery icon. You can display a circle that displays the amount of charge in a round shape; it is also my personal favorite one because it looks so clean. And if you want more detail, you can simply select the battery percentage mode that simply gives you a number. However, if you don’t want to display the battery icon on the screen, you can easily do so as well. To access all of these battery style modes, head over to Settings >Battery >Battery Icon >Additional Option.
10. Change the Looks
OnePlus X allows you a remarkable amount of customization options and that is evident in the feature list. In order to change the theme to a darker mode, you can simply enable the dark mode in the customization panel. You can also select accent colors that allow you to further personalize the way your smartphone looks. To do these changes, simply go to Settings > Customization and play with the options.
11. Turn On Battery Saver
The OnePlus X comes with a great battery saver mode than can seriously extend the battery timings of your device. The mode automatically kicks in at a set battery percentage so that you won’t have to do anything. You can even set the percentage at which the mode kicks in. Head over to Settings > Battery > More Options > Batter Saver > Tap on Turn On Automatically. After that, you’ll be good to go.
12. Home Button Features
This one is among the most useful tips and tricks for OnePlus X simply because it can be used in day to day life. Head over to Settings > Buttons > Home Button > Double Tap Action. In this menu, you can select a number of things that can be executed simply by double tapping the home button. You can make the screen turn off, open the camera, open the last used app and even launch the search assistant. Samsung also has a double tap home button feature but it lacks this much freedom. I have to applaud OnePlus for giving a lot of options to the users.
Conclusion
So these were a few tips and tricks for OnePlus X that will surely come in handy in daily usage. What do you think about the OnePlus X? Is it a great smartphone for the price or should it offer something more? Do tell us your opinions in the comments below. For more Android tips and tricks, make sure to bookmark JOA! Image Credits Feature Image Credits
