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OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro get Android 11 beta 2 (Update)
Update, July 14, 2020 (01:30 PM ET): The OnePlus 8 Android 11 beta program now has a new update in the form of Android 11 Developer Preview 2. Don’t be fooled by the name, though: this software is based on the second Android 11 beta released last week.
The reason OnePlus is calling it a DP rather than a beta is explained below in the original article. The gist is that this software is extremely shaky and intended for developer use only. In other words, don’t install this on your OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro if that phone is your daily driver.
Click here for instructions and download links for the OnePlus 8 Android 11 Developer Preview 2. Read on to learn about why this might not be advisable, though.
Original article, June 11, 2020 (12:41 PM ET): While the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro can download the Android 11 beta now, owners of those devices might be better off skipping this one.
As reported by XDA Developers, OnePlus has already released the Android 11 beta on top of OxygenOS. This means anyone with the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro can download and install the updated software on their devices right away. The release comes as part of the company’s Developer Preview Program.
Android 11 on OnePlus 8 issues
However, while the software is available to download, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it. There are a ton of warnings that come with this one, including the possibility of bricking a device upon which the beta is installed.
On top of that, there are a bunch of other issues that make it clear that this build is meant for developers looking to use Android 11. It’s not meant for end-users to install on their daily phones.
Here are the known issues with the Android 11 beta on the OnePlus 8 series:
- All data will be cleared while flashing the build
- Face unlock won’t work
- Google Assistant does not work
- Video calling unavailable
- Certain UI screens look incorrect (and some downright bad)
- Some apps may not function properly
- System stability issues
That’s a pretty hefty series of issues that go along with the risk mentioned above of bricking the device. Additionally, this build won’t work with the Verizon or T-Mobile OnePlus 8 devices.
For users who do want to install the Android 11 beta anyway, the phone needs to have a least 30% battery and a minimum of 3GB free space needs to be available beforehand.
It’s important to note that this build only works on the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, and attempting to flash the ROM onto older OnePlus devices could cause serious issues.
How to install Android 11
To download the Android 11 beta for OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro devices, the company has created a page that features a link to its community forum with more information as well as the links to download the beta. Here are the direct links to download:
How to downgrade to Android 10
Fortunately, assuming the device isn’t bricked during the install process, there’s a method outlined for downgrading a device back to Android 10 on the company’s community forum.
Here are the links to get the downgraded OS:
Once downloaded to the phone’s storage, users will need to go to Settings, followed by System, then System Updates, click the top-right icon, tap Local upgrade, click on the corresponding installation package (as downloaded above), then tap Upgrade. Once all that is finished, click Restart and wait for the device to reboot.
For anyone who has elected to try out Android 11 and wants to go back, the process is pretty painless, which is a good thing, as a lot of those issues seem like they’d detract from the ability to use the OnePlus 8 series of phones enjoyably.