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One of the most impactful changes during this transition is the final, definitive merger of OxygenOS back into OPPO’s ColorOS. In addition to any new devices launched in markets like India, future software updates for existing OnePlus phones will replace OxygenOS with ColorOS.
Although the two interfaces share their codebase — and are identical to a great extent — we expect a few OxygenOS-exclusive features to be removed. Meanwhile, a few new, less-than-desirable additions are expected when OnePlus phones start receiving ColorOS updates.
Let me take you through some of those additions, why I dread them, and why it feels terrible as a long-term OnePlus user.
Paul Jones / Android AuthorityColorOS is set to reach your OnePlus phone later this year — or early next year. OnePlus hasn’t clarified the exact timeline, but you should expect it around the next major Android 17-based ColorOS update. This update could bring about a few minor yet unpleasant changes to your OnePlus phone, and I will attempt to discuss them below.
Before I prepare you for what to expect, I want to reemphasize that the two interfaces are largely identical. If you aren’t particular about certain things, you probably wouldn’t notice a major difference. However, since you’re reading Android Authority, it’s my duty to assume you’re not part of the demographic that would be unaffected by the move.
Assuming my assumption about you is correct, there are some changes I want to (subtly) warn you about.
As clichéd as it might sound for Chinese-origin phones, the first thing I’m bracing for with ColorOS on my OnePlus phone(s) is the onslaught of bloat. OPPO phones, even the highest-end models, come with pre-installed apps, including “App Market” and “Game Center.” These, as you may have guessed, are gateways to OPPO’s app store, which exists solely to get you to download cheap-looking knockoffs of popular Android apps and games.
As with any other OEM-run app store (yes, I’m looking at you, Samsung!), the listings appear largely unmoderated and often include low-quality replicas of popular, sometimes paid, apps. What makes it worse are the nagging notifications from this app store asking you to install “highly rated apps and games,” even without you asking.
Robert Triggs / Android AuthorityWhile cheaper OnePlus phones, such as the recently launched OnePlus N6, also come with the App Market and the game extension pre-installed, OnePlus flagships have been spared the ordeal so far. The same doesn’t apply to OPPO flagships, including the Find X series, which doesn’t feel shy about promoting apps. Even on the premium Find X9 series, you will easily find bloatware in the form of app store extensions and preinstalled apps, such as Amazon, Booking.com, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Netflix. These may vary by region, but the list is obviously longer than you might be used to with OnePlus phones.
There’s a way around these naggy notifications and pre-installed apps. You can uninstall most of these apps (but not the app store, which even the most Android debloat tools can’t remove). You can also turn off notifications, disable the app store, and hide it from your list of apps, but there’s a feeling at the back of your mind that an app may be lingering on your phone without your permission or approval.
If that’s not enough to deter you, OPPO phones also come with a pushy, persistent, and enabled-by-default Lockscreen magazine feature that essentially shows ads masquerading as interesting featured content. You can, thankfully, disable these too, but not having to undertake the extra steps would have been nicer.
Now, let me take you through the things you might lose.
Robert Triggs / Android AuthorityIf you’ve been using a OnePlus since before its merger with ColorOS, you might already miss the clean, less-cluttered interface, simpler colors (rather than a gaudy array), and fluid animations. OnePlus phones have already lost these features over the years, but there are a few minor ones they’re set to lose next.
For starters, you will miss out on a relatively more Android-looking (and relatively bearable) adaptation of the iPhone’s Control Center. Although OPPO has already shifted to more Liquid Glass-inspired translucent graphics, OnePlus has so far used a subtler version. You can also completely turn off blur features for certain elements.
Joe Maring / Android AuthorityThat benefit, however, is limited to the Quick Settings or Control Center, as OnePlus phones or OxygenOS aren’t completely free of translucent elements either. You can find them especially in the launcher, the app drawer’s search bar, and the Categories screen for sorting apps iPhone-style.
The launcher itself has become fairly limited over the years, and you see fewer options for customizing the homescreen or the app drawer layout. You cannot use Shelf (which used to be an incredibly convenient OnePlus feature but is now riddled with ads) as a screen you right-swipe on, since that action is tied to Google Discover.
To open the Shelf, you must swipe down from the top to the bottom, but that overrides the gesture to open the notification drawer or the Control Center without reaching out to the top of the screen. I completely stopped using Shelf after this switch, and now it’s only a fragment in my distant memory. I’m not a fan of this default launcher, anyway, and recommend you use something faster and cleaner, like Niagara Launcher.
Among other smaller bits you’re set to lose is the Calculator Easter egg, where the Never Settle logo would appear when you performed the operation “1 + =”. You might find a subtle difference in the icons, too, and especially lose the “Classic” OnePlus icon pack.
Tushar Mehta / Android AuthorityThankfully, ColorOS has also adopted nicer features from OnePlus, including the Zen Space app, which helps you focus with a variety of continuous ambient sounds and the option to limit apps. And it will hopefully survive the axe.
The other customization features, including an iOS-like “Seamless” always-on display and immersive depth effects for lockscreen wallpapers, are already available on both interfaces. So are the Mind Space AI features, which you can use to store screenshots, let an AI model (probably Gemini for most global users) analyze their contents, and provide useful insights, such as summaries or reminders. It can be useful if you like to isolate media or messages you want to share with an AI. But if you’re already hooked on Gemini, you might find the feature similar to a glorified notes app and nothing more. OnePlus had also sacrificed the alert slider for this, so I have a bitter view of it anyway.
Tushar Mehta / Android AuthorityOnePlus 15 (left) and Nord 6 (right)Apart from software changes, major hardware updates are coming for existing OnePlus users in the US and Europe. In the latter region, OnePlus is offloading much of its business to OPPO, directing users to buy OPPO instead. Repairs, too, will slowly transition to OPPO instead. While it assures us that users won’t face issues, we’ve seen reports that OnePlus is already struggling to handle repair requests and is instead relying on vouchers to justify warranty claims. Stocks don’t look great either.
The only thing we can hope for is that the stock of repair parts is replenished, or that OnePlus upgrades users to equivalent OPPO phones without any extra charge, rather than unsatisfactory resolutions such as coupons or vouchers.
Meanwhile, it promises to continue selling devices in the US, but only until stocks last, and to offer repairs for far longer. However, as we might have discovered, OnePlus already has limited inventory in the region, suggesting it had been preparing for this move for several months and hadn’t therefore bothered to restock units. Since OPPO isn’t present in the US, that could effectively be the end of the road for repairs in the region.
This would be an excellent opportunity for OPPO to expand into the US, though we don’t know if there are any plans.
Tushar Mehta / Android AuthorityTraditional OxygenOS 16 Quick Settings (left) vs. split style.OnePlus’s “Never Settle” ethos was more than branding. It was a philosophy that resonated with the initial crop of OnePlus users — those unsettled by the mediocrity of Android phones when OnePlus was just getting started. The philosophy was also deeply reflected in the software, first in CyanogenMod and then in OxygenOS. The latter was especially characterized by a clean UI and zippy animations.
As OnePlus inched further into the premium market and took on more premium brands, especially Samsung and Apple, its identity began to waver, and with it, its commitment to clean, uniquely fast software. The lines faded further in 2021 when OPPO announced it was merging the OxygenOS codebase with ColorOS. Despite the union, OxygenOS retained its name and a handful of useful, unique features. At the time, OPPO and OnePlus promised that this force multiplier would help both platforms prosper by sharing resources and learning from each other. The end is quite the opposite of that, as we can now see.
While ColorOS gained useful features from OxygenOS, the latter got saddled with bloatware, slower animations, and eye-searing iOS-like visuals. And, the latest announcement only confirms the worries that have occupied OnePlus users’ minds for the past half-decade or so.
Alas, these changes are now final. And the end of OxygenOS also strongly suggests the brand’s eventual surrender to dust. Sure, OPPO makes great phones with excellent cameras and unbeatable hardware, but they may never replace the satisfying feeling of sprezzatura that OnePlus, especially OxygenOS, once represented. Yes, that era is long gone, but I would certainly take the moment to mourn for it, pour one out, and reminisce about the greatest OnePlus phones.
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