OnePlus has added region locking to its OnePlus 12 flagship smartphones for the Chinese market, Gizmochina reported. According to him, region locking was introduced on OnePlus 12 devices in China after the global version of the smartphone went on sale earlier this month. A similar story happened with OnePlus 11 smartphones.

Regional blocking creates problems for users outside of China who prefer to purchase more affordable Chinese models. In particular, such devices cannot be used to make calls when traveling to other countries.

Just like last year, users will be able to unlock the smartphone by entering a special code, which they can obtain by contacting OnePlus support. As Gizmochina notes, it is not yet clear whether the support service will unlock phones purchased through unofficial Chinese channels. Therefore, those who want to save money when buying a OnePlus 12 smartphone in China are recommended to check whether it is region locked before making a decision, especially if they live outside China.