OnePlus has announced its new monthly software updates. It’s like the company’s version of Google’s Pixel Feature Drops. However, as Android Authority noted, “it’s more confusing and much less impressive”.
For those unfamiliar, Pixel Feature Drops are a series of automatic software updates for Google Pixel devices that add new and improved features every few months. It lets users continue to get beneficial features without waiting for major Android updates.
OnePlus has already started rolling out two versions of its monthly updates for August
According to the announcement from OnePlus, the new monthly updates will add extra features to its OxygenOS skin and the system apps. OnePlus says it has already started the rollout on August 2, which will gradually reach specific OnePlus devices. The company also assured that all users would get the update by September 6th. The update contains two versions for August marked U120P01 and U120P02, respectively.
These new monthly updates are different from the traditional OTA updates. These are also independent of typical security patches and OS upgrades. “With this update, you can enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements right away, bypassing the usual gradual OTA (Over-The-Air) rollout process,” the company noted.
Reportedly, users cannot even flash these updates manually as they do with other types of updates. Notably, even if this development is noted as monthly software updates, the phased rollout will result in a significant delay for certain models in getting the updates. For example, the ongoing August update rollout will be completed by early September.
Nonetheless, users can check their device settings for the availability of the updates, by going to Settings> About device> OxygenOS.
OnePlus’ version of Pixel Feature Drops appears to be much less exciting
Pixel Feature Drops often have pretty exciting additions. However, it seems that OnePlus’ monthly update is much more minimal at least when it comes to the August update. The company has shared a changelog overview for its first monthly update. It includes some system stability improvements that are specific to OnePlus. It will be accompanied by a change to the Calculator that optimizes the Unit converter interface to make it more intuitive.
The two versions of the August update will be rolled out to the following devices: OnePlus 12 series, OnePlus Open, OnePlus 11 series, OnePlus 10 series, OnePlus 9 series, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus Nord 4 5G, OnePlus Nord 3 5G, OnePlus Nord 2T 5G, OnePlus Nord CE4 5G, OnePlus Nord CE3 5G, OnePlus Nord CE3 Lite 5G, OnePlus Nord CE2 Lite 5G, OnePlus Pad, and the OnePlus Pad Go.