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Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.
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LineageOS is the most-used custom Android ROM around, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for others. Paranoid Android was a popular choice back in the KitKat days, and while the ROM returned in full force with Nougat builds in 2017, there hasn't been much news since. Now the project is back (again), touting Android 10 builds for nine phones so far.
LineageOS ROM releases first builds based on Android 10 (Update: Builds are back)
LineageOS 17.1 is here
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM in existence, and the project prides itself on bringing newer versions of Android to unsupported devices. However, Lineage has been a bit slow to roll out a version based on Android 10 — the Pie-based ROM was already available by this time last year. Thankfully, the next major version of LineageOS seems to be just around the corner.
As 2019 ends and we enter a new decade, I felt the story of OnePlus deserved a bit more examination. In an email interview with CMO Kyle Kiang, I probed the history of a company that is often as shocking in its successes as it is in its marketing misfires. As it crests its sixth year as a smartphone vendor, it's more competitive than ever, coming a long way from the days when it could barely manage to build enough $349 OnePlus Ones using a tightly controlled and very annoying invitation system.
Back in 2016, the OnePlus 3 was a shock to the smartphone market, following up on the underwhelming OnePlus 2 with flagship-grade specs at a disruptive $400 price. Sadly, it's the end of an era for both it and the spec-bumped Oneplus 3T, as the pair of phones are getting their very last update.
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- Following the original Android 9 Pie release, OnePlus recently pushed out an update with June 2019's security patches. Unfortunately, folks looking to pull down the full image for more manual flashing have had to either track down transient OTA links (which are constantly expiring) or use something like Oxygen Updater. Those still waiting on the update and looking for an easier method can now just pull down the update directly from OnePlus, as the company has finally updated the images available from its site:
As unfortunate as it sounds, it's rare for an Android phone to get major updates two years after release. Google and Samsung have done it on occasion, but it's far from the norm. OnePlus received plenty of praise when it announced that the OnePlus 3 and 3T, both released in 2016, would get Android 9 Pie. Now the company has delivered on that promise, as Pie is now rolling out to both phones.
The day has finally come. Rejoice, OnePlus 3/3T owners, for Pie is now available for your phone via a Community Beta. OnePlus is asking for feedback and help getting this ready for the prime time (aka stable branch), which means that you can download and install it on your device right now and try it out.
Most phones that aren't Pixels are lucky to get one or two major updates. OnePlus has managed to offer better update support for its phones in spite of the lower prices. The OnePlus 3 and 3T launched in 2016 with Marshmallow, but they've gotten Nougat and Oreo updates. Now, OnePlus is preparing to offer a Pie update, and you can help test it.
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom Android ROMs available, with over two million active installations. The project officially ended support for the 14.1 (Android 7.1) branch a few days ago, in preparation for LineageOS 16. The 16.0 branch is finally rolling out, and it's bringing Android 9 Pie to dozens of phones and tablets.
Last month, OnePlus formalized its software maintenance schedule. Like Google, the company promised customers two years of Android OS version upgrades, followed by an additional year of security maintenance updates. This new schedule applied to hardware starting immediately, which most of us had assumed meant that the last version of Android the OnePlus 3 and 3T would see was Android O via either 8.0 or 8.1. Well, earlier today OnePlus promised owners of the 3 and 3T the unexpected: Both phones will be getting Android P, but at a cost.
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Even though OnePlus still sells only one phone at a time, pulling the plug on the well-reviewed 5T far too early, the company’s software support for both new and old devices can be pretty impressive. Unless you don’t still own the OnePlus 2 or OnePlus X, in which case we’re sorry.
In the last few years, OnePlus has gotten serious about keeping its devices updated. While it can feel like stable OxygenOS releases take a while sometimes, the Open Beta program represents what OEMs should do: give those who are willing early access to new features, Android versions, and so on. Further attempting to bolster its positive reputation in this area, OnePlus released the Software Maintenance Schedule, which promises two years of software and three years of security releases for each device and it's already in effect.
With the 5T, OnePlus introduced its own version of face unlock, aptly named 'Face Unlock." Thanks to its sheer speed, it quickly became a hit. Owners of older OnePlus devices begged for it to be added to their phones, and days later, it showed up on the OnePlus 5 with the latest Oxygen OS beta. The feature then made its way to the OnePlus 3 and 3T via the beta track, and then to the OnePlus 5's stable track. With Oxygen OS 5.0.3, the OnePlus 3/3T gets Face Unlock on the stable track, as well as some other tweaks.
Yesterday, OnePlus pushed out new Open Betas for its 2016 and 2017 flagships. While mostly similar, the 3/3T version differs slightly from the 5/5T one. Both, however, improve the OnePlus Switch app and add the ability to manage Parallel Apps files in the File Manager.
OnePlus is good enough to provide a beta channel for its phones, so you can stay on the bleeding edge. You'll also probably encounter more bugs, but such is life. There are new Oreo-based Open Betas live today for OnePlus' recent phones. They include some functional updates as well as security patches.
OnePlus is good enough to provide beta versions of OxygenOS for most of its phones, but those downloads vanished yesterday. We wondered at first if there was a bug, but OnePlus claimed the removal was just because it switched to the oneplus.com domain. Now, the betas are back, but the builds are newer.
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- A representative for OnePlus said the links were removed because the company was switching from oneplus.net to oneplus.com, as we covered here. The builds were not pulled intentionally, and they will be restored soon.
OnePlus frequently releases 'Open Beta' updates, where users can try the latest changes before they are ready for widespread use. The builds are usually pretty stable, but since they are intended for testing, issues occasionally crop up. It appears the latest Open Betas have a nasty bug, as OnePlus just pulled them from its website.
OnePlus is most likely forging ahead with a new flagship phone that will launch this summer, but it hasn't completely forgotten about the flagships of yesteryear. The OnePlus 3 and 3T are getting new open beta versions today. The changes appear to be the same, but the version numbers are different. The OP3 gets v32 and the OP3T is v23.
OnePlus has been in the news for a few bad reasons lately, which to me has further solidified my dichotomous feelings toward the company, but that's not stopping it from churning software updates. Up today we have the OnePlus 3 and 3T, which are getting bumped to the Open Beta 30 and 21, respectively, with the same changelog for both.
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- Android Police reader Nicholas Torkos installed the latest beta (OP_O2_Open_29) on his OnePlus 3, and used mitmproxy to inspect the data being sent. From his findings, the clipboard data itself is not being transmitted, but the app is making connections to a server whenever the content of the clipboard is updated.
An intrepid user on the OnePlus forums, v1nc, noticed a suspicious new system app "com.oneplus.clipboard" attempting to access the network after upgrading to a beta release of Oreo with the December 1st security update. Suspiciously, the IP address led to a block owned by Chinese conglomerate Alibaba. Android Police reached out to OnePlus, which confirmed that this was present in the beta.