OnePlus 6 Pie update problems and how to fix them

OnePlus 6 tips

The OnePlus 6 is one of the best flagship devices to get your hands on with currently. Offering flagship specs at a mid-range price, it’s hard to find anything to fault with the OnePlus 6 as it is a solid all-around device that makes us wonder if we really need to shell out extra cash for other devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 or even the upcoming Pixel 3.

The device isn’t even a year old but we’re going to see its iterative edition soon in the OnePlus 6T, which is just around the corner now. However, OnePlus has not yet forgotten about the OnePlus 6 as they have already released the Android 9 Pie update for the device.

Project Treble really does seem to have made a difference, knowing that the OnePlus 5T got the Android Oreo update about 5 months after Google’s official release while OnePlus 6 received the Android 9 Pie update just within 45 days. As good as the OnePlus 6 Pie update n OxygenOS 9.0 is, there is always a possibility that a few unnoticed bugs may have made their way into the final release.

Which is why some users have already reported some issues with the OnePlus 6 after installing the Android Pie update. Let’s take a look at a few problems with the Android 9 Pie update for the OnePlus 6.

Auto brightness is too dim

Several users have reported that the auto brightness feature isn’t working as expected. The auto brightness seems to underexpose the screen until users move the slider all the way up to 70%-90%.

In case you’re pestered with the same, we’d like to inform users that this isn’t a bug, but, is actually a new feature introduced with the launch of Android 9 Pie. The slider now controls brightness on a logarithmic scale, rather than linear which was on previous builds of Android.

Possible solution:

  1. The new auto brightness feature will use machine learning methods to figure out the optimum brightness levels for certain situations based on the users’ preference, hence, the brightness slider would adapt to the users’ preference. If you find the screen too dim for your eyes, we’d suggest to turn off the ‘auto brightness’ feature and manually set the brightness to your preference.

White navigation bar in dark apps

After the update, several users are annoyed by the fact that the navigation bar does not adapt well to apps with a dark mode. The navigation bar seems to stick to being white even while using dark mode apps which of course is a really ugly design feature.

Possible solutions:

  1. If you can’t stand the white navigation bar, you could use a navbar application app from the Play Store which overlays any color or image you’d like on the navigation bar. This would help you get rid of the white bar without having to sacrifice the functionality of the navigation bar.
  2. In case you have disabled the stock OnePlus launcher, reactivate the launcher again and this should solve the concern for good.
  3. OnePlus had introduced an alternate method to navigate around the UI by ‘Gesture-based’ navigation on the OnePlus 5T which has now made it over to the OnePlus 6. If the navigation bar isn’t working out for you, we’d suggest using the new gesture-based navigation. To turn it on simply go to Settings > Buttons > Navigation bar & gestures > Select Navigation gestures. 
  4. If you’re not a fan of gesture-based navigation and reactivating the stock launcher didn’t solve the issue, factory resetting the device should definitely work but we’d suggest you try the other listed methods first. To perform a factory reset we’d suggest you follow our in-depth guide on how to factory reset your Android device.

OnePlus 6 price

New recent apps menu unavailable (still Oreo style)

With the release of Android 9 Pie, Google showed off the new ‘recent apps’ menu which has now borrowed some design cues from iOS which displays the apps in a horizontal manner rather than vertical stacks. However, some users are reporting that the new recent apps menu is still the same as before the update.

If you can relate to this as well after the Android 9 Pie update for the OnePlus 6 here are a few things you can try out.

Possible solutions:

  1. Reboot your device once after the update, if the issue was caused due to a glitch, rebooting the device should fix the issue.
  2. If rebooting didn’t fix the concern, we’d suggest performing a factory reset. While installing new Android versions without a clean install, users could face certain issues with the update, hence, factory resetting the device should fix the issue of the recent apps menu not changing to the new design. Here’s our guide on how to factory reset your Android device.

Increased battery drain issue

A few users claim the battery life is drastically reduced after updating to the Android 9 Pie update on the OnePlus 6. If this is the case with you, then we might have some solutions to fix the increased battery drain.

Possible solutions:

  1. Soft reset the device. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down button simultaneously until the screen turns off. The device will reboot automatically. You will soon see the OnePlus logo. If not, just press and hold the power button.
  2. Disable ‘High-accuracy’ location. In the settings page search for ‘Location’ several settings would show up in the results. Change the Locating method from high accuracy to low accuracy or simply turn the feature off until you need to use any app that requires user location.
  3. Uninstall battery draining apps. Several social media apps such as Facebook often eat into the battery life on a device, as these apps are constantly running in the background to update users on new posts, etc. This could be fixed either by disabling the app in background or by uninstalling the app and using the web version. You must look at battery menu of the Settings app to check out which apps are draining the battery the most because if an app hasn’t been updated to compatibility with Android Pie, it may behave badly.

Related: How to fix battery drain issues

Data connection: Mobile data not working

After updating to the Android 9 Pie, a few users are reporting issues with mobile data not working on the device. This is a major concern as several users in some regions depend on mobile data to access the internet.

Possible solutions:

  1. Reset the APN to enable mobile network again. This could be done by heading over to Settings > Mobile Network > Access Point Name and entering your carrier APN settings.
  2. Turn on Airplane mode and leave it on for 15 seconds then, turn it off and wait for a few seconds. This should fix the issue and your mobile data should now be working.

OnePlus 6 mobile phone update

WiFi issues: WiFi isn’t connecting

In case you too are facing the issue in which you are unable to connect to your WiFi. We suggest you try the following fixes.

Possible solutions:

  1. If you’re facing Wi-Fi connectivity issues on your OnePlus 6, the first thing you should try doing is removing the specific network from the list and adding it again. To do so, simply head over to Settings – Connections – Wi-Fi and push the Forget button on the network name that you’re facing issues with.
  2. The issue could also be with your WiFi router, so attempt a simple unplug, and then replug the router after 10 seconds for a quick soft reset. This should help sort out the WiFi issue you were experiencing.

Bluetooth issues: Unable to pair devices through Bluetooth

If you find yourself unable to pair your OnePlus 6 to a Bluetooth device after updating to Android 9 Pie, here are a few methods that could help get the issue sorted.

Possible solutions:

  1. Reboot your device. This is one of the most simple yet effective methods to fix a bug or glitch. Simply hold down the Power button and then tap Restart. After the device restarts try paring your Bluetooth device.
  2. If the device still isn’t pairing head over to Bluetooth settings and remove all paired devices. Once all the paired devices are removed from the list, try and pair the Bluetooth device to your OnePlus 6 now.
  3. If there’s still no luck clear Bluetooth cache, follow these steps. Go to Settings > Applications >Tap 3 dots on the top right and click Show system apps > Bluetooth > Storage > Clear cache and data. After performing these steps you should now be able to connect to your Bluetooth device.

NFC Payment not working

Several OnePlus users are left disappointed after updating to Android 9 Pie with Oxygen OS 9 as users are unable to use the NFC Payment feature available in their banking applications.

Possible solutions: 

  1. Clear the app cache and data: Go to Settings > Applications > Select the banking application > Storage > Clear app cache and data. NOTE: Clearing the application data and cache would log you out of the banking application and your information that is stored on the device would be removed.
  2. Restart your device: Restarting your device might help solve the problem. Simply hold down the Power key and tap on Restart. Wait for the device to restart and then try using the NFC payment feature.
  3. Perform a factory reset: Before proceeding, we’d suggest creating a backup of your device to avoid data loss. Go to  Settings and search for Reset using the search bar. Tap on Factory data reset and then go through the information which would let you know what would be removed from your device. Then tap on Reset. 
    Wait for the device to finish with the Reset process and then set up the device as you normal. Download your banking application and try using the NFC Payment feature again.

Currently, the issue is being faced mostly by users in Romania and OnePlus hasn’t addressed the concern yet, however, we do expect the issue to be resolved once the cause is determined. Do share the issue with the OnePlus support to get more information on the issue if you still aren’t able to make NFC Payments after performing the steps mentioned above.

OnePlus 6 Open beta 8 bugs and fixes

OnePlus usually rolls out the latest updates via it Open beta programme and since these updates are in ‘beta’, there are a few bugs and issues which users might encounter.

So here are a couple of issues with the latest OnePlus 6 Open beta 8:

Unable to answer calls or turn off the alarm when the device is locked

This is a known issue and should probably be fixed within the next few updates via the beta channel. Users are reporting that they are unable to answer calls or turn off the alarm on their OnePlus 6 when the screen is locked.

Possible solution: Go to Settings and search for pocket mode and toggle off the feature.

Keep in mind that this is just a workaround and does not solve the issue.

Unable to clear recent apps

Another bug spotted in the Open beta 8 for the OnePlus 6 is where the users are unable to clear the recent apps on their OnePlus 6. Currently, there’s no information on when this might be fixed, however, the issue seems to be with the OnePlus launcher hence, we expect OnePlus to roll out an update for the launcher to fix the issue.

Possible solutions: Go to the App info page for the OnePlus launcher and then tap on uninstall updates. Do not download the updates until OnePlus releases an update to fix the issue.

Other issues: Should be solved with a bugfix update

There are several other issues being reported by users, however, these issues don’t have a quick fix solution and should be ironed out within the next few bugfix updates by OnePlus.

  1. Several users are reporting Apps crashing even if latest app updates are installed.
  2. Bluetooth LE devices aren’t connecting to the device.
  3. Some UI animations are choppy and sluggish.
  4. Recent apps menu greys out application view at times.
  5. Some apps are able to use the area behind the notch even without enabling permissions.

Have you installed the Android 9 Pie update on your OnePlus 6? Did you notice any bugs? Let us know in the comments below. 

Posted by
Dwayne

Used to be a Windows Phone fan until I got my first Android Phone. Never looked back since. When I'm not writing, I'm gaming. Email: [email protected]

6 Comments

  1. I hate the screen now. It is so dim

  2. Michael Cruusberg

    Hi, after update i can’t attach video files to a sms/text message on the standart one plus Message App.
    Small or large, dosen’t matter? it will not give me that option anymore.

  3. I can observe image size got decreased in Pie when compared with Oreo and images were blurry and dull in pie.

  4. having trouble with lots of apps crashing. i can’t even download some. i’ve done a factory reset and still having issues with about 4 or 5 apps that can’t open, and crash immediately, even after deleting them and re installing them to updated versions. also having issues with app updates. mainly social media platforms. i’m not getting notifications for hours. i’ve checked all of my settings and all of my push notifications are set to notify. i’m about ready to switch back to me 5t until there’s an update. maybe i just got a corrupted file?

    gestures aren’t working. flashlight rarely works. there’s not option to clear cache anymore, even under the free up space. you have to go through every app separately. missing some text messages, seems like it goes from 4G to H very often. calls are cutting out as well due to this.

  5. Since the pie update my phone no longer works in either of my calls with Bluetooth I can hear the people on one end but they cannot hear me this is becoming frustrating and I ridiculous and I wish you would be fixed

  6. i have oneplus 6t with android pie…. i m not able to download pubg over mobile data….please help 🙁 …

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