At least some variants of the OnePlus 5 are affected by what seems to be a bug that prevents their users from calling emergency services, with the issue first being noticed yesterday by one Nick Morrelli. The resident of Seattle claims he saw a burning building yesterday and tried using his OnePlus 5 to call 911, though his phone rebooted both times shortly after it started dialing the emergency number. Morrelli was even able to replicate the problematic behavior and posted video proof of it on Facebook that can be seen below. The device itself seems perfectly functional and the issue is seemingly not limited to this particular unit; shortly after the ordeal, Morrelli detailed the problem on Reddit where another user from the United Kingdom said that they’re experiencing the same issue, though they didn’t provide any proof of their claim. As for the device belonging to Morrelli, he claims this is the only instance of his OnePlus 5 rebooting that he encountered so far.
The Shenzhen, Guangdong-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) said that it’s currently looking into the matter and asked all customers who believe they are affected to reach out to the company directly. Initial reports indicate that the problem is a software bug of an unknown origin. While the cause of the issue remains unclear as of this writing, it’s already been confirmed that not all OnePlus 5 units are affected, with another user from the aforementioned Reddit thread posting proof of successfully contacting 911 with the handset. Morrelli’s OnePlus 5 doesn’t seem to be running a custom ROM, suggesting that the problem wasn’t caused by the user. If you’re looking to test for the bug on your own device, make sure not to call the emergency line in your country directly but instead reach out to a non-emergency department if you can, explain the issue, and ask to make a test call to the emergency number to avoid cluttering the lines in case you are able to go through.
Verizon’s variant of the Moto G5 Plus was recently experiencing a similar problem, with that particular issue being confirmed as a software bug that has been fixed by Motorola Mobility in a relatively swift manner. If you are unable to contact emergency services with your OnePlus 5, reach out to the BBK Electronics-owned company directly by emailing [email protected].