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Some OnePlus 5s Are Reportedly Rebooting After Dialing 911 (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the major-issues dept.

The OnePlus 5, dubbed "the best sub-$500 phone you can buy" when it launched, is having a few problems. Earlier this month, some owners of the new device complained about a weird jelly-like effect that appears when scrolling through apps. OnePlus went on to claim that the effect is normal and not the result of any manufacturing issues. Now, a handful of users are reporting that the OnePlus 5 will reboot itself once 911 is called, preventing them from reaching emergency services. The Verge reports: Reddit user Nick Morrelli noticed the glitch after he tried to call 911 to report a building fire in Seattle, and other users have reported that the OnePlus 5 is unable to dial 911 (or 999 in the UK, as another user reported) without rebooting. While most users haven't reported having the issue, any percentage of devices not being able to reach emergency services is a major issue for OnePlus. In a statement to The Verge, OnePlus says it's looking into the problem. "We have contacted the customer and are currently looking into the issue. We ask anyone experiencing a similar situation to contact us at support@oneplus.net."

59 comments

  1. Get up, get get get down by JoeyRox · · Score: 3, Funny

    911 is a joke on your Chinese phone.

    1. Re:Get up, get get get down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Works if you're deep fried. There's an APB out now for a Chinese James Brown impersonator? Run Joey run!

    2. Re:Get up, get get get down by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

      A joke? The real number to call is 0118 999 881 999 119 7253?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    3. Re:Get up, get get get down by sunderland56 · · Score: 1

      Quick quiz for you: what cell phones are NOT made in China?

    4. Re:Get up, get get get down by JoeyRox · · Score: 1

      Many of Samsung's and LG's.

    5. Re:Get up, get get get down by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Did you code in 911 support for profitable export market?
      That was your job
      Your only job

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    6. Re:Get up, get get get down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice. Very nice :D

    7. Re:Get up, get get get down by ls671 · · Score: 1

      You have got it wrong, it is a feature, a Chinese anti-snitch feature since they have harsh authorities there. It is just too bad if you really need help.

      --
      Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
    8. Re:Get up, get get get down by davester666 · · Score: 1

      After the shooting in Minneapolis a couple of days ago, the number of people calling 911 to report something should go down...

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    9. Re:Get up, get get get down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A joke? The real number to call is 0118 999 881 999 119 7253?

      Damn, you made me sing it in my head.

    10. Re:Get up, get get get down by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Someone emailed about a fire?!

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    11. Re:Get up, get get get down by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Quick quiz for you: what cell phones are NOT made in China?

      Lumia 950.....It's made in Vietnam,

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    12. Re:Get up, get get get down by azrael29a · · Score: 1

      Some Blackberry models were made in Hungary and Mexico.

    13. Re: Get up, get get get down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Trump's USA, 911 calls you.

  2. Screen jelly effect... by DiSKiLLeR · · Score: 1

    The screen jellly effect is from the screens being installed backwards, and being flipped in software. Supposed an android fix will fix that problem.

    --
    You can tell how powerful someone is by the magnitude of the crime they can commit and be able to get away with.
    1. Re:Screen jelly effect... by piojo · · Score: 1

      The screen jellly effect is from the screens being installed backwards, and being flipped in software. Supposed an android fix will fix that problem.

      It's also really, really hard to notice, at least on my phone. My friend showed me a youtube video that made it look rather bad, but if not for his trying to scare me about how bad the phone is, I never would have noticed it. Now that I know it's there, I've still only noticed it three times. I think it's a funny bug, though--it's hard to understand how the middle of the screen could get rendered with updated content but the top and bottom would be rendered with old data.

      --
      A cat can't teach a dog to bark.
    2. Re:Screen jelly effect... by citizenr · · Score: 1

      how would that make a difference if screen updates were properly Vsynced?

      --
      Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
    3. Re:Screen jelly effect... by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      The screen jellly effect is from the screens being installed backwards, and being flipped in software. Supposed an android fix will fix that problem.

      I call BS because then it should be present in a LOT of phones. (Physical screen orientation and phone orientation frequently don't match). Heck, if you flip your phone upside down (if it has a normal oriented screen) it should become visible on every phone. There will always be an orientation where the screen is upside down on every phone, and I'm pretty sure even something like the default Android web browser will re-orient themselves regardless of phone orientation, making it every phone should have the phenomenon.

      There are a large number of phones where the physical screen orientation is different from how the phone is used - it's such a common thing many LCD controllers have options to flip in hardware.

      And if not, the GPU often offers the ability to do it trivially. Android also has the function, because well, it has to support flipped screens since the beginning. The only time it's not is if the GPU is disabled and it's being rotated in software manually.

  3. 911 fail. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now just think of the harrowing situation someone had to go through to discover this flaw.

    1. Re:911 fail. by Kjella · · Score: 1

      Now just think of the harrowing situation someone had to go through to discover this flaw.

      You mean like every person in need of emergency services before cell phones were invented? Not that I'm defending the company or want to turn back time, but this used to be the norm. Either crawl back to civilization where someone has a landline, pray that someone will report you missing and a search party or random stranger will find you or lay down and die. In fact quite a few people have died because of their over-reliance on being able to call help and you might say a lot of people that ought to have died have been saved despite their poor judgement. It's just that modern society has moved the goal posts to where you expect 911 to be available at your whim.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    2. Re: 911 fail. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah I read your post and tried to call 911 but my phone rebo

    3. Re:911 fail. by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's just that modern society has moved the goal posts to where you expect 911 to be available at your whim.

      Yes, and then people plan according to the goal posts, and then the point at which the situation becomes harrowing moves.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:911 fail. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now, think of the situation where someone at OnePlus tasked to replicate the flaw based on customers' reports, and the QC tasked to test the fix.

    5. Re:911 fail. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Either crawl back to civilization where someone has a landline, pray that someone will report you missing and a search party or random stranger will find you or lay down and die.

      You make the game of Spot-the-Asshole so much easier to play that it's not even fun anymore. Improve.

  4. What he should have done by n329619 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    is to use a real phone to call 911.

    Everyone knows that a smartphone is great at everything except for being a phone.

    1. Re:What he should have done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good advice, next time I go to a building fire I'll be sure to take my old Nokia with me. Unless by "real phone" you mean the boxy ones with a crank?

    2. Re:What he should have done by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      Good advice, next time I go to a building fire I'll be sure to take my old Nokia with me.

      As stubborn old guy with Nokia phone who has called emergency services recently, can confirm this works.

      Everyone keeps telling me I need a smartphone, but as someone who mainly does use his phone for calls or maybe the occasional text message, I've never really seen the point. They're bigger, less reliable, riddled with security and privacy issues, and often can't even hold a single day of charge. Of course, being a Slashdot-reading geek, when I need to do something more demanding than my trusty Nokia can do, I've often got something more suitable like a laptop with me anyway.

      Ironically, I've been considering getting a OnePlus 5 (because decent spec + dual SIM could be useful for me) but was holding off over concerns about new phone reliability, plus the usual security and privacy issues. This sort of story, on top of the reports about jelly because they can't even put the basic hardware together the right way, isn't exactly turning me into an enthusiastic customer...

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    3. Re:What he should have done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Be careful with those Nokia phones, especially the candy bar variant. Even when the phone is locked, you can dial 999, 911, 112, whatever. But that makes it trivial to pocket dial/butt dial emergency services. IIRC, there was a story about 10 years back about a pair of criminals that were caught because their phone dialled emergency services during a robbery. Can't find that one, so I'll leave this one about some would-be burglars in California instead.

      Here we are - couple of guys knocked over a Target, but were completely betrayed by their phone.
      One last interesting one: guy dialled emergency services while committing grand theft auto. Not once, but FOUR times on himself.

    4. Re:What he should have done by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the warning, but as someone who doesn't routinely commit robbery or grand theft auto, I'll take my chances. ;-)

      Being serious, I have never actually had this happen to me in however many decades I've been using these things now. Maybe it's just that I tend to keep my phone in a jacket pocket or bag rather than somewhere I'm going to sit on it...

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
    5. Re:What he should have done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've been looking at the OnePlus 5 as well. The reason? Because it doesn't lock me in. But OnePlus ridiculousness of wanting to be the cheaper brand put me off. The other thing that put me off was their decision on the screen resolution and quality. The idiotic response of "You don't need to have anything more than 1920p" just completely killed it for me.

      And as such, with the recent quality issues and their idiotic responses to the current issues, I am not going to purchase a OnePlus phone, probably ever.

    6. Re: What he should have done by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      It's a valid response. Usually, when comparing two phones, it's more about the black, brightness and dpi. Increasing resolution is diminished returns wrt battery and CPU.

  5. Poor repeat sales strategy. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    OnePlus 5 will reboot itself once 911 is called, preventing them from reaching emergency services.

    Hopefully the manufacturer will realize that it will hurt their resale business if their customers die ... and while using their product.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  6. If there were only some way to test... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It would be nice to be able to test dial 911 without the cops showing up at your door.

    1. Re:If there were only some way to test... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The way to do that is to call and say "this is a test".

  7. Hopefully Samsung owners don't know OnePlus owners by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Otherwise when their phones catch fire, their friends are going to be unable to call for help.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  8. Best sub-$500 phone? Bollocks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The iPhone SE (which is a warmed over 5S) sells for $399 and $499 (32 or 128 GB) unlocked from Apple.

    1. Re: Best sub-$500 phone? Bollocks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea but it's a uninteresting phone with a pretty bland ecosystem.

    2. Re:Best sub-$500 phone? Bollocks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have been very happy with the Moto G2, G3, G4 and now E4 phones I have bought for my family, all under $300.

    3. Re: Best sub-$500 phone? Bollocks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No dual sim, not comparable in feature set. Better luck next time :-)

  9. Android sucks so fucking bad! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why would anyone use an operating system designed by an advertising company?

    1. Re:Android sucks so fucking bad! by amalcolm · · Score: 1

      As opposed to a 'lifestyle' company? - Get real !!

      --
      Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
  10. 112? by grege1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In the rest of the world on any GSM phone you can dial 112 and it will be redirected to the local emergency number. Does this work in the USA? Will it cause a reboot? It should certainly work in the UK. If it works it might at least be a workaround.

    1. Re:112? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it works as it is meant to work, then you can dial any emergency number in any country and get the emergency services. I'd say try it, but don't.

  11. You actually need to dial 116 by LoneBoco · · Score: 2

    You are just holding it wrong.

    1. Re:You actually need to dial 116 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2010 called and they want their meme back.

    2. Re:You actually need to dial 116 by gencha · · Score: 1

      1990 called and they want their witty replies back.

    3. Re:You actually need to dial 116 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 1980s c{#`%${%&`+'${`%&NO CARRIER

    4. Re:You actually need to dial 116 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 90's called, they want their cheeky "no carrier" joke about the 80's back.

    5. Re:You actually need to dial 116 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2017 tried to call, but their phone keeps rebooting.

    6. Re: You actually need to dial 116 by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Butt hurt.

  12. A: Because it disrupts the flow of a message by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

    Q: Why is starting a comment in the Subject: line incredibly irritating?

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  13. How do they even get a bug like that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ordinary calls works but not 911 - why?
    For the phone, 911 is not special. Just another number one might dial. The special status is entirely on the provider side. How is this bug possible?

    1. Re:How do they even get a bug like that? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      Two phones ago mine would occasionally reboot calling *any* number. And the dialer was slower than molasses in January.

      Software. Cell phones today mostly are pretty terrible phones.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    2. Re: How do they even get a bug like that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually it is special

    3. Re:How do they even get a bug like that? by EndlessNameless · · Score: 1

      In the US and Europe, telephone network operators are required to provide 911 (or equivalent) access to all devices regardless of status.

      It doesn't matter if the customer was disconnected for non-payment, or if the phone is missing a SIM. In the US, it should work on any network that the phone is physically capable of transmitting to, regardless of roaming agreements or other authorizations.

      Supporting this functionality on the handset requires that the software (a) know which numbers qualify as emergency services, and (b) override the normal modem configuration. I suspect (a) is simple enough to implement, so (b) is probably where the problems lie.

      --

      ---
      According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
    4. Re: How do they even get a bug like that? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      That sounds like a hardware problem. I know there's a lack of QA these days, but it is a motherfucking phone, first.

  14. Contact us via e-mail if you are having problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "We ask anyone experiencing a similar situation to contact us at support@oneplus.net."

    We are assuming, of course, that you or the person you are calling on behalf of can wait for an e-mail to our very busy support department to be responded to AFTER you wait for the device to reboot. At any rate, we totally wish you and your family the best of luck with that heart attack, drowning, broken bones, gaping wound, poisoning, and/or bullet wound from a home invasion!