The company that pioneered the affordable flagship segment jumped into the true high-end category with the OnePlus 8 Pro. It has a slew of extra features when compared to the regular OnePlus 8 and is a decent upgrade over its predecessor, but tacks on a significantly higher price tag as well. Like almost every phone released nowadays, the OnePlus 8 Pro isn’t without its fair share of issues and bugs though. We take a look at some of these OnePlus 8 Pro problems, some workarounds to fix them if available, along with a few useful how-to guides.
Editor’s note: Not every OnePlus 8 Pro will have these problems. In fact, it is more than likely that you won’t come across any of these issues at all.
Problem #1 — Display issues
The OnePlus 8 Pro comes with a beautiful 120Hz display and is one of the best we’ve ever tested. Unfortunately, it has been plagued with problems since day one. Luckily, most of them appear to be software problems that can be, or have already been, fixed with updates.
Quite a few users were seeing a noticeable green tint across a dark screen with the OnePlus 8 Pro display set at 120Hz and at low brightness. OnePlus has been rolling out software updates to fix this problem and it has worked for most users. If the issue isn’t fixed for you yet, waiting for an update is the best option.
Keep in mind though that the update that fixed the green tint problem for some users resulted in a new red tint issue. So there’s still a long way to go here. Luckily, the company is doing a good job when it comes to fixing the various display bugs and issues with the OnePlus 8 Pro.
Problem #2 — Touchscreen problems
Many users have come across noticeable lag with using the touchscreen. These issues seem particularly prevalent when the display resolution and refresh rate are set to Quad HD and 120Hz, and especially significant when using the keyboard with those display settings.
Potential solutions:
- The obvious solution here is to reduce the display resolution and/or refresh rate. A lot of users who face this problem have mentioned that this helps fix it, but is obviously not the ideal solution for anyone hoping to get the most out of the display. A good compromise to make is Full HD at 120Hz.
- If you change the display resolution, keep in mind that you might have to restart the device. You should then see the lag issues go away.
- Some users have found that disabling the three-finger screenshot gesture seems to do the trick as well. Go to Settings > Buttons & gestures > Quick gestures and disable “Three-finger screenshot.�
- Reducing the animation speed in the Developer Options menu might also help make everything feel snappier. Go to Settings > About phone and tap on the build number multiple times until you see a pop-up that says “You are now a developer.� Now go to Settings > System > Developer options. Scroll down to the “Drawing� section and set all the animation scale settings to 0.5.x.
- As a last resort, a factory reset might do the trick (you’ll find the instructions in a guide below). Make sure that you back up any important files though, since this step will erase everything.
Problem #3 — Delayed app notifications
The OnePlus 8 Pro comes with excellent battery saving features and aggressive RAM management. While this helps keep everything running smoothly for as long as possible, it can cause problems, particularly when it comes to delayed app notifications.
Potential solutions:
If you notice delayed notifications, you will have to make sure that these apps are not on the “battery optimization� list, so they keep running in the background while you need them. There might see slight battery life problems with the OnePlus 8 Pro, but that might be worth it to make sure that you don’t miss anything important.
- Go to Settings > Battery > Battery optimization. Find the apps you are seeing this problem with. Tap on “Don’t optimize.�
- If you want to make sure that an app keeps running in the background, you can “lock� the app. Open the app. Then launch the Recent Apps page. Long press the app window and select “Lock� in the pop-up menu. Once done, you can remove it by going through the same process and tapping on “Unlock.�
Problem #4 — Unable to use 5G
The OnePlus 8 Pro joins the small but rapid-growing list of phones that comes with 5G support. However, quite a few users are reporting that they aren’t able to connect to available 5G networks.
Potential solutions:
- For most users, this appears to be a network support/compatibility issue. Even if your SIM card supports 5G and you have the correct data plan, many users are facing problems with connecting to the network. If that’s the case, the only option is to wait for an update. A user has put together a list of affected network carriers at the OnePlus forums.
- Some users have found that this seems to be a problem with the dual-SIM feature of the phone. If you have two SIM cards installed, you might not be able to use 5G. People have found that simply removing the second SIM card fixes the issue.
Problem #5 — Android Auto problems
Problems with getting Android Auto are common with most new smartphones. Unsurprisingly, that is also the case with the OnePlus 8 Pro.
Potential solutions:
- You might be running into Android Auto connection issues if you used the OnePlus Switch feature to set up your new phone. If that’s the case, find the app in the Google Play Store, uninstall it, and download it again.
- You may notice that you don’t see the Android Auto app in your app drawer anymore. If there’s a problem with app settings, you’ll find them tucked away in the phone settings. Go to Settings > Google > Device connections > Android Auto. Everything you need should be there.
- If you’re seeing frequent disconnections, this might be a hardware problem. Check the cable that you’re using and get a new one if required.
- You can also try enabling wireless projection. While this might solve connection issues with the OnePlus 8 Pro, remember that this feature is in development and might cause other problems. To do so, go to Settings > Google > Device connections > Android Auto. Scroll down to the version number and tap it ten times till you see a pop-up that says that developer options are enabled. Open the overflow menu (three vertical dots icon at the top right corner) and tap on “Developer settings.� Now select “Enable wireless projection.�
Problems where the only option is to wait for an update
OnePlus does a pretty great job of staying on top of user complaints and rolling out fixes for any bugs that users may come across with the OnePlus 8 Pro. Unfortunately, there are a few issues that remain with no workarounds available right now.
- Fingerprint scanner issues: Many users are finding problems when trying to set up a new fingerprint and are getting a registration error. This bug seems to have come up after a recent update to Oxygen OS 10.5.6 and remains with the 10.5.8 version as well.
- Dual-SIM not working: OnePlus 8 Pro owners in the US will find that they cannot take advantage of the phone’s dual-SIM capabilities. OnePlus has promised though that a future update, that will be coming “soon,� will enable this feature.
- Network connection problems: A few users are reporting that the 4G data speeds seem to drop significantly, and in some cases, the network connection goes away entirely. Restarting the phone helps fix the problem for only a few hours.
- Camera problems: OnePlus has significantly improved camera performance with software updates. However, the OnePlus 8 Pro camera issues continue, with the most recent being the problem with the color filter camera.
Guide — Factory reset, boot into Safe Mode, wipe cache partition
Factory reset
- Make sure to back up any important files and data since this step will delete everything.
- If the phone is on:
- Go to Settings > System > Reset options and top and “Erase all data (factory reset).�
- If the phone is off or stuck:
- Press and hold the volume down key and power button simultaneously until the device vibrates and the Android Recovery screen appears.
- You might have to first select a language using the volume keys to navigate the menu and press the power button to select.
- Scroll down to “Wipe data and cache� and select “Erase everything.�
- You will be asked for final confirmation before completing the process.
Boot into Safe Mode
- If the phone is on:
- Press and hold the power button until the power options appear.
- Long press on the “Power off� option until you see a prompt that says “Boot into Safe Mode.�
- Tap “OK.�
- If the phone is off:
- Press and hold the power button until the phone vibrates and the OnePlus logo appears on the screen.
- While the logo is still on the screen, press and hold the volume down key.
- Continue to press the volume down button until you see “Safe mode� appear at the bottom left corner.
Wipe cache partition
- Turn off the phone.
- Press and hold the volume down key and power button simultaneously until the device vibrates and the Android Recovery screen appears.
- You might have to first select a language using the volume keys to navigate the menu and press the power button to select.
- Scroll down to “Wipe data and cache� and select “Wipe cache.�
- You will be asked for final confirmation before completing the process.
Running into problems that might not be specific to the OnePlus 8 Pro? Check out our roundup of some common Android OS issues and how to fix them.