OnePlus is a little behind when it comes to bringing the Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 to its older phones, but the company is rolling out an update that will plug that gap a bit in the meantime. The latest 5.x version of the OnePlus Launcher is now compatible with most of the company's older phones, and the two that don't have it yet will later this week, we're told.

OnePlus confirmed the details of the rollout to us, following a changelog published together with the initial update of the OnePlus Launcher published to the Play Store. The new version (5.0.2.4, in our testing) is rolling out for OnePlus devices running OxygenOS 10, including the OnePlus 6/6T and 7/7T series, as well as the original Nord. The N10 5G and N100 don't have it yet, but a OnePlus spokesperson tells us they'll get it later this week.

Unfortunately, this new version doesn't bring all the features you can expect the OnePlus Launcher to have on new phones, like multiple swipe-down options or Google Discover integration. However, it does deliver the updated Shelf design and a handful of app drawer tweaks for starting a search.

Left: OnePlus Launcher v4.65. Right: V5.0.2.4 on Android 10. 

The drawer's quick search gesture tweak is more minor than it sounds: The new launcher simply has new options to more easily trigger a search in the drawer, either via a swipe and hold or as the default swipe-up action.

It's not OxygenOS 11, but a new coat of paint on your launcher might help tide you over in the meantime, and though it was delayed, OnePlus looks on track to launch Android 11 on the 7 and 7T series. It just hit Open Beta, so unless there's another OnePlus 6-like snafu, an official rollout will probably happen in the next month or so, based on prior release cadences. In the meantime, the updated launcher is rolling out over on the Play Store for most of OnePlus' older devices.

Source: Play Store