OnePlus 14, Open 3 tipped to come with new Apple Action Button-style Alert Slider

OnePlus backs itself as a brand that would Never Settle for delivering the average Android smartphone experience.

One way in which it tries to fulfil that brief is through the Alert Slider that has been present since the inaugural OnePlus One back in 2014.

The extra side-mounted feature originally functioned to let the user switch between notification profiles (such as 'normal', 'vibrate-only' and 'silent' in a unique and convenient way.

Now, its parallels to the iPhone Mute Switch are raising their heads again, as OnePlus is reportedly gearing up to retire the Slider in favor of its Action Button equivalent.

Oppo (OnePlus' parent corporation that has also started to integrate the Alert Slider into its own smartphones) has also cloned Apple's Camera Control for its flagship Find X8 series; therefore, it is only a matter of time before it does the same with the iPhone 16 Pro Max' other exclusive hardware key, according to prodigious leaker Digital Chat Station. 

It may or may not debut in the top-end Find X8 Ultra, thought to be here by March 2025 with Oppo's best Hasselblad-branded cameras yet and a completely flat display. 

Should that be the case, the OnePlus 14 might follow suit with the new 'Alert Button' (as the impending premium Open 2 foldable smartphone seems to have a Slider in its latest renders).

An earlier attempt to phase the Alert Slider out (in the 10T) raised outcry among OnePlus users online. Maybe this time will be different, especially if it is as replete with potential for customization and re-mapping as Digital Chat Station seems to think.