Android 9 Pie Open Beta is Available for OnePlus 6

OnePlus announced today that Oxygen OS Open Beta 1 is now available for the OnePlus 6, giving us our first chance to see Android 9 Pie on that device.

“We are very excited to announce that we are ready to roll out the first Open Beta build based on Android 9 Pie for the OnePlus 6,” a OnePlus employee identified as Manu J. writes in a new post to the company’s online forum.

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New Android 9 Pie-based features in this release include a “brand new UI for Android P,” the new Android P gesture navigation system, and “other new features and system improvements.”

Oxygen OS Open Beta 1 also includes various OnePlus integration features, like new accent color customization, new Do Not Disturb functionality, and Game Mode 3.0, which adds notifications for texts and 3rd-party calls.

There are some good reasons to wait, however. OnePlus notes that some applications may not function as expected, Google Pay is broken, and the Google Play Store might show a “Device is not Certified by Google” error.

But if you’re still interested, the OnePlus forum post has the instructions. I did install the beta and will report back if anything interesting arises.

 

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  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    03 September, 2018 - 6:43 pm

    <p>Why does it have so many caveats? If the damn OS runs, why do things like the store not work right?</p><p><br></p><p>If a previous version of Android worked on this machine, why does a later one have any issue at all? Unless every release of Android considers the previous hardware compatibility list as a regression bug, it should just work.</p><p><br></p><p>So why doesn't it?</p><p><br></p><p>It's crap like this that makes me nervous about going to Android. Never knowing if the phone I spent a couple hundred dollars (or more) for will see updates for the entire time I own it – something which should be an understood. A device should receive updates until it's physically incompatible with the software – Or even understanding how Android even interacts with the hardware, which apparently requires far more detailed things than Windows does.</p><p><br></p><p>So if Windows can keep updating on a device, and it just keeps using the drivers and support software for the machine, why can't Android just do the same? Why, as a phone owner, should I give a a single shit about what OEM I bought my phone from? </p><p><br></p><p>The OS comes from Google, not the OEM.</p><p><br></p><p>Why can't I update when I want?</p>

    • IanYates82

      Premium Member
      03 September, 2018 - 11:04 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#313921">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Different driver model. They're working to change it, but it's the same way that installing drivers into Linux used to be very involved compared to how it was done in Windows.</p><p><br></p><p>My Galaxy S8 still gets the monthly updates for what that's worth.</p>

      • jimchamplin

        Premium Member
        04 September, 2018 - 12:37 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#313945">In reply to IanYates82:</a></em></blockquote><p>So improvements are coming. That's great.</p><p><br></p><p>I want to like Android, but I'm always so paranoid I'll get burned!</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      04 September, 2018 - 2:45 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#313921">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Because it is a beta. It isn't the final, signed code. A new version works in a slightly different way, it is "new" after all. If it is still working rooted to enable the beta, for example, then secure things, like payment or store certificates can easily be disabled, because the device is classed as insecure.</p><p>If you don't want to be a beta tester, don't install it and you won't get burned. This is a beta, so it shouldn't be going on your production / main device anyway.</p>

      • jimchamplin

        Premium Member
        04 September, 2018 - 6:54 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#314004">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>I’m not talking about prerelease vs final code. </p><p><br></p><p>Im talking about the endemic problem with Android updates. Specifically, their typically nonexistent status. </p><p><br></p><p>I don’t want to get burned by buying a phone and then either not receiving updates or only getting one major upgrade. I don’t want a device that becomes incompatible with software or insecure just because the OEM is too lazy and cheap to give me the updates I’m due.</p><p><br></p><p>Edit: clarity</p>

        • macboy

          Premium Member
          04 September, 2018 - 10:22 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#314030">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yet, you're actually responding to a post about Oneplus 6 specifically, and the specific beta for this device, which is why you're getting responses in that context :). And Oneplus not only does ship OS updates, they also recently clarified their update policy going forward so you know exactly what to expect if you do buy one of their devices. </p><p><br></p><p>As for Google's model, I do share your concern that it still (in spite of Project Treble) takes an effort from OEMs to ship a device, however I'd say that is largely due to the extremely open nature of Android and the fact that so many OEMs take advantage of that to customize Android. Those OEM customizations can then clash with a new set of features aimed at similar goals built-in to Android. In the case of Oneplus for example, they built "gesture navigation" into OxygenOS and now Android Pie also has gesture navigation. Obviously the 2 can/will clash from a user experience point of view, so as the owner of a Oneplus 6 device, I appreciate the effort from Oneplus to actually make sure the end-to-end experience is great before shipping the Android Pie update. </p><p><br></p>

          • jimchamplin

            Premium Member
            04 September, 2018 - 5:36 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#314087">In reply to macboy:</a></em></blockquote><p>Oh, I get why I'm getting those replies. Sure, reading my replies would have made it clear I'm talking about something else but… Eh! Who's got time for that 😀 But I need to look into OnePlus's policies. Might be a good option, especially if they decide to join Android One.</p><p><br></p><p>The thing about all these customizations though… Why do they require such intricate work for updates? <em>Why aren't they simply designed to keep working through OS updates?</em> Is that just the nature of Android? I've got nothing against OnePlus, and as you say, it's good that they're not releasing some half-baked code. That's definitely something I appreciate. I just wish that I had the option of turning off all the custom stuff and update straight from Google. </p><p><br></p><p>I might be making a mountain of a molehill here. Best question to ask is, with the Play Store elements being out of the OS, does that help the app compatibility angle? </p>

  • dcdevito

    04 September, 2018 - 10:30 am

    <p>THIS is why I only use Pixels</p>

  • RoHo

    Premium Member
    04 September, 2018 - 12:43 pm

    <p>Oneplus also announced Android P will also be coming to Oneplus 3/3T owners. Taking care of it's customers like no other!!</p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    06 September, 2018 - 5:12 am

    <p>In other news, Hauwei have announced that the Mate 9, as well as the Mate 10 and 10 Pro, P20 and P20 Pro (as well as some other, older high-end devices) will all get Pie. The Mate 10/Pro and P20/pro will also get Android 10, when it is released.</p>

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