Supercharge Your OnePlus Phone With These Essential Settings

The OnePlus 13 has emerged as a major contender in the flagship phone market, holding its own against heavyweights like the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. A significant part of its appeal lies in its clean, yet deeply customizable, software experience.

Whether you're a new OnePlus user or a long-time fan, you might be missing out on powerful features baked into its operating system. Over the years, OxygenOS (now integrated with ColorOS) has evolved to offer a suite of tools that make the phone more productive and intuitive. Here are 10 settings you should change to unlock your device's full potential.

1. Launch Apps Faster with Fingerprint Quick Launch

OnePlus includes a clever feature that lets you launch apps directly from the lock screen. By enabling Fingerprint Quick Launch, you can assign up to five apps or actions that appear right after you unlock the phone with your finger. Simply press and hold the sensor, then swipe to your desired shortcut without lifting your finger. This is perfect for quickly opening the camera or checking an important app.

How to enable: Go to Settings > Security and Privacy > Finger and Face Unlock > Fingerprint > Quick Launch.

2. Master Multitasking with the Smart Sidebar

Similar to features on other Android devices, the Smart Sidebar on OnePlus phones provides a small, swipe-able tab on the edge of your screen. You can fill it with your most-used apps and tools for quick access. It also includes a productive feature called File Dock, which allows you to drag and drop items like images or text for later use. This is incredibly useful for moving content between apps, such as from a browser to a chat.

How to enable: Navigate to Settings > Accessibility and Convenience > Smart Sidebar and toggle it on. You can also enable the File Dock from this menu.

3. Capture Cinematic Shots with XPAN Mode

Inspired by the classic Hasselblad XPan camera, this mode lets you capture panoramic photos in a unique 65:24 aspect ratio, perfect for dramatic landscapes. While it's been on OnePlus phones since the 9 series, it was often hidden. You can now add it directly to your main camera interface for easy access.

How to enable: Open the Camera app, go to More, then tap and hold the XPAN icon to drag it to your main camera viewfinder.

4. Bring Your Photos to Life with Live Photos

Many 2025 smartphones now have a Live Photo feature, and OnePlus is no exception. It captures a short 3-second video clip with every photo you take, adding context and emotion to your memories. It's especially great for capturing candid moments and behind-the-scenes fun that a single static image might miss.

How to enable: In the Camera app, tap the third icon in the top row to toggle Live Photos on or off.

5. Enhance Your Pictures with AI Editing Tools

Modern OnePlus phones come equipped with useful AI-powered editing features. In the Photos app, you'll find tools like the AI Reflection Eraser to clean up shots taken through glass. Other features like AI Eraser can remove unwanted objects or people from your background, while AI Unblur can help salvage a slightly out-of-focus shot.

How to use: Open a photo, tap Edit, and then select AI Editor to access these tools.

6. Maximize Your Display's Potential

If you own a flagship OnePlus phone, you paid for a high-quality QHD+ display, but it might not be enabled by default to save battery. Given the strong battery life of these devices, switching to the highest resolution offers a noticeably sharper and more pleasing visual experience with minimal impact.

How to enable: Go to Settings > Display & brightness > Screen resolution and select High.

7. Access Everything Instantly with Quick Search

OnePlus has a global search function that lets you find contacts, settings, files, and more from a single search bar. While you can access it with a swipe-down gesture on the home screen, this might conflict with how you access notifications. A great alternative is to add a permanent search bar to the bottom of your home screen for constant, easy access.

How to enable: Go to Settings > Home screen & Lock screen and toggle on Show search at the bottom.

8. Personalize Your Always On Display (AOD)

OnePlus offers extensive customization for its Always on Display. You can add image sketches, Bitmojis, text, and control what information appears. Beyond time and notifications, you can enable Contextual Info for live updates from supported apps, like food delivery tracking. This lets you see important information at a glance without unlocking your phone.

How to customize: Find all options under Settings > Wallpapers & styles > Always On Display.

9. Use Double Tap Gestures for Convenience

This simple feature is incredibly useful. You can enable a gesture to lock your phone by double-tapping an empty space on the home screen. Similarly, you can set it to wake the screen with a double-tap when it's off. It's a convenient alternative to pressing the power button.

How to enable: Go to Settings > Home screen & Lock screen and toggle on both Double tap to lock and Double tap to turn the screen on/off.

Bonus: More Essential OnePlus Gestures

Here are a few more shortcuts that enhance the OnePlus experience:

• Icon pull-down: Swipe up along the side of the screen to bring all your home screen icons within thumb's reach. Enable it in Home screen & Lock screen settings.
• Raise to wake: Automatically wake the screen when you pick up your phone. Find this toggle in Home screen & Lock screen settings.
• Live Alerts: Similar to iPhone's Live Activities, this shows real-time information from apps on your lock screen. Manage it in Notification & Quick Settings.
• Pocket mistouch prevention: Prevents accidental taps and butt dials when your phone is in your pocket. Enable it in Home screen & Lock screen settings.
• Quick Settings classic view: If you dislike the new iOS-style split notification and settings panel, you can revert to the classic, unified view. Change this under Notification & Quick Settings > Quick Settings.