If you have one of OnePlus' older devices, you may be a little jealous of the new 7 Pro and its updated hardware and software. We can't do anything about the former, but for the latter, we've started discovering, one after one, that the APK files on the new device do indeed work on older models. Last week, we went through Camera and Gallery, then today we covered the new Screen Recorder, but we just tested Zen Mode's APK file and as it turns out, it too works on older devices.

The Zen Mode file that was uploaded to APK Mirror can be downloaded and installed on existing phones from the company. I tested it on my 6T, but it should also work on the 6, 5T, and 5.

Just like with Screen Recorder, the app isn't available in the drawer. You'll find it in Quick Settings and will have to drag its tile up to sit next to your existing ones.

The first time you tap it, it launches the instructions, onboarding, and detailed explanation of Zen Mode. Then you can start Zen Mode. This puts your device in an extreme DND state for 20 minutes: no notifications will come, the screen can't be used, and all apps aren't accessible. The only thing you can do is answer calls, make emergency calls, and open the camera. On my 6T, that last button doesn't work, but your mileage may vary.

Once the 20 minutes are over, you'll see a summary of what happened during that session. Zen Mode also offers you combined statistics for all the times you've triggered it and a notification reminder if you use your device continuously for 2, 3, 4, or 5 hours. If you're the type of person who can get stuck playing a game or checking a social network for hours at a time, this may be a good way to remind yourself to turn that screen off and enjoy life.

OnePlus has already promised that Zen Mode would come to older devices, but odds are you'd need to wait for a firmware update for that to happen officially. If you want to try it now on your 6T, 6, 5T, or 5, you can grab the file from APK Mirror and let us know if it works for you, or if you have an issue launching the camera like I did on my 6T. Beware though, it really renders your phone useless for 20 minutes, so start it at your own risk.

UPDATE: 2019/05/21 12:42am PDT BY RITA EL KHOURY

OnePlus has issued an official statement explaining that although this file works on older-gen devices, there are issues such as some notifications still coming in while the mode is activated. This is because the app isn't fully optimized yet for these models. Zen Mode will make it into next week's open beta build for the 6/6T and should also come later to the 5/5T.