Some owners of the OnePlus 5 are unable to get through to emergency services, as the smartphone reboots itself before 911 calls connect.
The OnePlus 5 is a powerful yet affordable smartphone, but with two major issues for the device reported this month, potential customers might be forced to look at other options in the market.
OnePlus 5 Can't Make 911 Calls
The 911 glitch first surfaced when Nick Morrelli, who goes by the username Seattle_Horn, posted on the official OnePlus sub-Reddit that his OnePlus 5 rebooted when he tried calling 911 to report a fire a few blocks away from him. Morrelli was able to replicate the new OnePlus 5 issue, as demonstrated in a video that he uploaded to his Facebook account.
When other OnePlus 5 owners tried calling 911, or 999 in the UK, some also saw their smartphone reboot.
As a mobile phone that is often the most convenient and accessible way for people to make phone calls, the inability to contact emergency services is a very dangerous OnePlus 5 bug. There may be cases when a OnePlus 5 owner needs to contact 911 for a life-or-death situation, and it would be horrible if the smartphone will simply fail in connecting the call.
According to Android sub-Reddit moderator kumquat_juice, the OnePlus 5 problem may have something to do with the enhanced code used by 911 services to automatically acquire location data from the calling device. It is possible that it's a widespread Android issue, or only for the OnePlus 5.
What Should OnePlus 5 Users Do?
OnePlus has acknowledged the issue, stating that the company has contacted Morrelli directly and that it is already looking into ways to solve the problem. OnePlus also requested for other OnePlus 5 owners to report similar cases to the company's support department.
In the meantime, while OnePlus works to make a fix, OnePlus 5 owners are advised to try if calling to 911 will go through. Users can call the non-emergency line to give a heads up that they will be doing a test call, and in the process can also ask for other direct numbers that they may contact in case of emergencies.
Another Major OnePlus 5 Issue
The 911 bug of OnePlus 5 comes within the same month that users reported a "jelly-like" effect that appears on the smartphone's display while scrolling through apps.
OnePlus made matters worse when it initially denied that there is a problem. It was later found out that the issue was due to OnePlus 5 screens being mounted upside down.
