Oxygen OS 12 is now in open beta for select OnePlus phones

A few months ago, OnePlus rolled out the first taste of Android 12 on its devices through a closed beta program. Although there were a few issues, select users have been enjoying the next iteration of Android for a while now.

Today, though, OnePlus is rolling out the first open Oxygen OS 12 beta. That means anyone can install the software on their phone without needing to sign up for the closed beta program.

As with the original rollout, this first open beta is only available for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. Other OnePlus phones will see their own open beta programs start at later dates. It’s likely the next phones in line would be the OnePlus 8 series, although the newest Nord phone might get it first; we are not sure. See further down for more info.

See also: Everything you need to know about OnePlus

Regardless, it is now very easy to get Android 12 on your OnePlus 9 series phone. All you need to do is download the beta software and manually upgrade. It doesn’t even require a factory reset of your device.

Before you run off to install it, though, you need to keep two things in mind. The biggest thing is that this is still beta software and very likely will have loads of bugs and problems. If you value stability and use the phone as a daily driver, you’ll probably want to skip the Oxygen OS 12 beta. The other thing to keep in mind is that upgrading to the beta doesn’t require a factory reset, but downgrading back to the stable version of Oxygen OS 11 would. In other words, don’t upgrade if you think you might then want to downgrade.

What’s new in Oxygen OS 12 beta?

The most significant aspect of Oxygen OS 12 is something you likely won’t even see: the integration of the codebase of Color OS. OnePlus and sister brand OPPO are merging together in multiple ways, and this Oxygen OS 12 beta is one of the first steps towards developing a unified operating system for both brands.

It’s unclear how this change will affect OOS, but OnePlus says it will make it faster, smoother, and easier to update. We’ll need to wait and see if that turns out to be true.

Outside of that significant (but invisible) change, the new updates in OOS 12 are mostly aesthetic in nature. The OnePlus dark mode is enhanced to allow users three types: Gentle, Medium, and Enhanced. OnePlus has also updated a bunch of its apps including Shelf, Zen Mode, and Notes. The updates mostly revolve around making things look nicer, but with few actual new features.

Which OnePlus phones will get it?

As mentioned earlier, the only phones with access to the Oxygen OS 12 beta at the moment are the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. OnePlus did confirm which phones will eventually get it but did not divulge a timeline.

If you own one of these phones, you will see Oxygen OS 12 beta at some point:

Keep in mind that the OnePlus Nord N200 will get Android 12, as previously confirmed by the company. However, this list suggests there won’t be a beta program for it. Instead, it will just get a stable update whenever it’s ready.