The bug preventing certain OnePlus 5 units from contacting emergency services will soon be fixed, according to the Shenzhen, Guangdong-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In a statement provided to 9to5Google on Wednesday, the Chinese OEM said that it’s been corresponding with the person who initially reported the problem earlier this week and provided them with an experimental software update that apparently managed to eliminate the issue. That very same update will presumably be distributed to all affected owners of the OnePlus 5 in the coming days, though the BBK Electronics-owned phone maker has yet to clarify on what’s causing the problem in the first place.
Some owners of the OnePlus 5 recently speculated that the issue may not be related to the device itself seeing how only some units in the United States and the United Kingdom are affected and no similar reports have originated from other parts of the world, whereas owners of some other Android devices are reportedly experiencing similar problems. Others speculated that the phone’s attempts to send its coordinates to the emergency services may be the cause of the problem. The bug manifests itself in the form of a device reboot that occurs shortly after affected OnePlus 5 units start dialing 911 or another emergency service. None of the OnePlus 5 users who previously claimed they’re experiencing the issue said that their handsets were modified or damaged in any way. Due to the severe nature of the issue, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer is likely working to resolve the bug as quickly as possible and the aforementioned software patch is expected to be distributed to users as an over-the-air (OTA) update. It’s still unclear how many owners of the latest OnePlus-branded flagship are affected by the problem but if you suspect you’re one of them, contact the OEM directly by emailing [email protected].
The OnePlus 5 was met with relatively positive reviews when it launched earlier this summer, though its release wasn’t completely problem-free, with some users complaining about the so-called “jelly effect” that’s preventing the phone from displaying smooth scrolling animations and is reportedly caused by the fact that the display module of the handset is installed upside down. It remains to be seen whether those complaints and the newly uncovered bug affect the commercial performance of the OnePlus 5 that’s still said to be the fastest-selling device from the company to date.