Smartphones are a gateway to a world of addiction. Whether you’re spending hours scrolling through your never-ending social media feed, wandering down the YouTube rabbit hole, or surfing the web, it’s hard to disconnect from the online world. The constant notifications from the myriad of apps on our smartphones make it hard to disconnect.
While Android smartphones have features like Digital Wellbeing to curb smartphone addiction, most of us don’t spend enough time setting up Digital Wellbeing on our phones to use it. That’s why OnePlus’s Zen Mode feature stands out. It only takes a few taps to activate and helps you disconnect from the online world. How to use Zen Mode on OnePlus devices.
What is Zen Mode on OnePlus?
Zen Mode is a OnePlus-exclusive feature that helps curb your smartphone addiction and find peace. OnePlus co-created this feature in 2019 with the help of the OnePlus Community. Now the company has released Zen Mode 2.0, which improves on the first offering by adding new themes, ambient sounds and a way to start group sessions.
What happens when you enable Zen mode?
When you enable Zen mode on your OnePlus device, it locks you out of the device for a certain period of time. As long as Zen mode is active, you cannot use the phone for anything other than making emergency calls and taking pictures.
When Zen mode is active, you will not receive notifications other than phone calls. You also cannot exit Zen mode, once activated. It stops when the duration expires.
It may seem like a drastic approach, but that’s what makes it work. You don’t have to wade through dozens of settings and switches to set your preferences. When you turn on Zen mode on your OnePlus, you truly disconnect from the world.
Which OnePlus phones support Zen Mode
OnePlus launched the Zen Mode feature along with the OnePlus 7 Pro. However, the company released Zone Mode as a standalone app and introduced the feature to older OnePlus devices.
Here is a list of all the OnePlus smartphones that support the Zen Mode feature:
- OnePlus 10 series: OnePlus 10 Pro and 10T
- OnePlus 9 series: OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, 9R and 9RT
- OnePlus 8 series: OnePlus 8, 8T and 8 Pro
- OnePlus 7 series: OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7T and 7T Pro
- OnePlus 6 series: OnePlus 6 and 6T
- OnePlus 5 series: OnePlus 5 and 5T
- OnePlus Nord series: OnePlus Nord, Nord 2, Nord CE, Nord CE 2 and more
How to use Zen mode on OnePlus
Before using Zen Mode on OnePlus, go to Settings -> About Device and update your device to the latest version. Since Zen Mode 2.0 came with an Android 11 update, if your device is running an older version, updating the system will give you the best experience. If you’ve installed the standalone Zen Mode app from the Play Store, make sure it’s updated to the latest version as well.
- Unlock your OnePlus device and swipe down twice from the top to see the quick settings.
- Swipe from right to left and then tap Zen mode to open it.
- Press time button to set the duration. You can choose between 1 minute, 20, 30, 40, 60, 90 and 120 minutes.
- Swipe between screens to choose different themes and background sounds.
- You get five themes, each with their own theme sounds. You will find jellyfish, light years, country mornings, meditation and sunrise.
- Press Let’s go to start the Zen Mode session. Press Confirm to start.
When you launch Zen Mode for the first time, you need to give it several permissions to work. Allow all the permissions that the feature requires.
How to use group Zen mode on OnePlus
Along with personal Zen Mode sessions, you can create or join Zen Mode group sessions. Group Zen Mode sessions allow you to create a Zen Mode room. Your friends and family can join in to disconnect together. You can also join rooms created by other users.
How to use this feature on your OnePlus phone:
- Unlock your OnePlus device and swipe down twice from the top to see the quick settings.
- Swipe from right to left and then tap Zen mode to open it.
- Press Group icon and select Create a room the option to create a group Zen Mode session.
- If you haven’t done so, sign in with your OnePlus account to create a room.
- Select Duration from the drop-down menu.
- Press Invite friends to share your room code and invite others.
- Press Join a room button and enter Room code to join a room your friends have created.
How to set up Zen Mode reminders
If you want your OnePlus device to remind you to start a Zen Mode session, enable this feature.
- On the Zen Mode screen, tap profile icon at the top right.
- Press Settings icon to open the Zen mode settings menu.
- Turn on Daily reminder toggle.
- Press Scheduled time to set the time you want to receive a notification to start your Zen Mode session.
Use Zen Mode on OnePlus to disconnect
Zen Mode is an excellent feature on OnePlus devices that helps you disconnect from the online world. The best thing about this feature is that it requires minimal setup and you can activate it with just a few swipes and taps.
When you’re done relaxing, check out how to get the most out of your OnePlus smartphone using our favorite OxygenOS tips and tricks.
