We've all had a phone reach a premature death, running out of software updates well before the device is actually too slow to be used. Thankfully, the custom ROM community helps keep your old gadgets alive, and there's no better ROM out right now than LineageOS. The open-source project brought Android 11 to nearly 60 phones earlier this month, and two more are about to be added to the list. The OnePlus 6 and 6T have picked up Android 11 courtesy of LineageOS, with nightly builds for both now available.

The newest version of LineageOS is based on Android 11, with recent security patches thrown in for good measure. You get access to all of the improvements and enhancements that shipped as part of Google's latest OS last fall, all without having to wait for OnePlus to push OxygenOS 11 to either phone. It also includes several ROM-exclusive features, including advanced customization options, improved music player and recorder apps, and much more. You can check out the changelog released alongside the original batch of phones to learn more.

Just recently, a commit was pushed that indicated LineageOS would have Android 11 builds available for the OnePlus 6-series. There was one hiccup, but that was resolved in short order, and both devices now have nightly images for LineageOS 18.1 you can download right here for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T.

This all comes just a few days after an update for both devices brought April's security patch and... not much else. OnePlus's 2018 flagships have been left to languish on Android 10, even as we rocket towards Google I/O and the unveiling of the Android 12 beta. Earlier today, we learned that OnePlus wouldn't release official Android 11-based Oxygen OS updates for the phones until August at the soonest — and that's just for the Open Betas.

If you own either phone and you're sick of waiting for an update to come through official channels, LineageOS might be an option. Installing a ROM on a modern phone is nowhere as simple or easy as it used to be, but it's still an option.