Smart Text Selection Waits to be Used on OnePlus 5T

Android Oreo is surprising and Smart Text Selection is one feature that you must use in your OnePlus 5T device. After all, OnePlus is finally rolling out the OxygenOS 5.0.2 update for the OnePlus 5T, being the first one to bring Android 8.0 Oreo to the company’s flagship smartphone. The software update is available through an OTA download and several core applications on the smartphone have also been upgraded to the latest version.

Selecting the right text can be hard on a small screen, but Google’s data shows that most of the time when we are selecting information it’s something like an address or phone number.

The text selection menu in Oreo has also been updated and now provides intelligent actions that can vary depending on the type of text you’ve selected. So, Smart Text Selection allows Android analyze selected text and contextually provide useful buttons. For instance, you can select a URL and Android 8.0 will suggest opening it in Chrome. If you long-press or double tap on an address, Android will suggest to open it in the Maps app; you can do the same on phone numbers and it will suggest placing a phone call on your OnePlus 5T.

It’s a really useful feature, but I have to tell you from the start that applications have to be updated to support it. In other words, when you double tap on a relevant bit of text, Google’s machine learning software realizes where the relevant information starts and ends, and automatically selects all of it and not the tiny part you tapped. This works flawless for email addresses, names, phone numbers, as well as physical addresses, so why not using it?

Are you worried about privacy on your OnePlus 5T? Then, I have to add one more thing: the Smart Text Selection feature that I am telling you about works completely on-device without sending any data to the cloud for analysis, so don’t even think of the fact that Google is recording everything you select.

Just enjoy the feature for what it is on your handset and stop worrying about every single small thing!