I simply bought my OnePlus 15 again from a co-worker who was testing the telephone, and after setting it up, I used to be horrified by the brand new Recents multitasking UI. Not solely was it a blatant iOS ripoff, however it was a worse design than what OnePlus has employed for years. I needed the outdated look again, however I could not discover it wherever within the settings menu, even after looking for every part I believed it is perhaps referred to as.
Seems, the choice to alter it again to the “flat” look remains to be there, however it’s hidden for some completely weird cause. Most firms adopted the stacked tile search for Recents final 12 months, a design that is an enormous enchancment over the rubbish inventory Android Recents UI, however one which’s far worse than OnePlus’s design, which I’ve lengthy referred to as one of the best multitasking UI on any telephone.
Get the great activity switcher again on any OnePlus telephone working OxygenOS 16:
1. Open up the Recents UI by tapping the Recents key in your navigation bar or by swiping up on the house bar with out taking your finger off the display for a second.
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2. Press and maintain on the Shut button.
3. Choose Flat from the choices up prime.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
After a bit extra digging, I came upon that this similar settings menu may be discovered by pinching on the house display, choosing dwelling display settings, then choosing Handle Apps on the backside.
Both method, you get the job finished; this setting re-enables the traditional, blazing-fast OnePlus multitasking UI. If you happen to ever wish to “lock” an app in reminiscence, it’s also possible to do it from this display. That’ll hold apps available in reminiscence even when you’ve got a bunch of stuff happening directly.
OnePlus’s traditional UI is finest
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
For some cause, 2025 was the 12 months that almost all Android producers determined to undertake a break up notification shade and ditch Google’s terrible multitasking UI for Apple’s superior design. However, as is nearly at all times the case, a 3rd choice would have been higher to maintain because the default.
Sure, that is proper, the already default traditional OnePlus multitasking UI was the only option, but OnePlus thought copying Apple can be preferable for anybody switching from an iPhone. If I needed to give OnePlus any credit score right here, it is that Apple customers aren’t recognized for altering something on their telephones, so perhaps selecting a well-known type wasn’t a horrible choice.
Fortunately, OnePlus did not delete its superior UI; it simply hid the UI away for the ability customers to seek out. If something, I suppose we may consider this as an influence consumer scavenger hunt. I simply hate that OnePlus gave customers the worst of two selections because the default, particularly in the event that they by no means know they will have one thing higher with out digging via layers of settings menus.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Why is the default UI higher, you ask? The reply is down to hurry. OnePlus has lengthy heralded its telephones as bastions of velocity, and a part of that was how simply they allow you to multitask between apps. The row of app icons on the backside may be tapped and dragged, which means you would shortly swap between 10 apps with a single swipe and faucet.
That is monumentally higher than some other UI design, which at most allows you to swap between six apps with out swiping or tapping. The brand new default OnePlus multitasking UI, which is now primarily similar to Samsung, Apple, Honor, and a swath of different firms, solely allows you to swap between two different apps with out having to begin swiping.
It is merely much less environment friendly and may be annoying for energy customers who discover themselves shifting between a number of apps all all through their day. Paradoxically, the actual superior UI can be to meld the 2 choices. Use the stacked playing cards so we are able to see what’s subsequent in line, and hold the underside row of icons for quicker switching. Whereas I may dream about what’s subsequent, at the least the traditional UI is again in motion.
The worth of the OnePlus 15 is solely unmatched, delivering top-tier specs with out that nasty top-tier worth everybody else is attempting to cost. Get the velocity you want for years to return with the OnePlus 15.
