OnePlus has rolled out the March security patch to these phones

OnePlus promises to deliver regular system updates for its wide array of smartphones for at least two years and in some cases much longer for flagship models, but how is the March 2022 security update being handled?

OnePlus March 2022 security update — What’s new?

Early in the month, Google added the March security patch as the fourth post-Android 12 updates for all eligible Pixel devices with a substantial Feature Drop and version 12.1/12L in tow. This OTA includes a number of new tweaks to improve the experience on larger displays while simultaneously tuning the base Android 12 experience for devices. It’ll come a little later for the Pixel 6/6 Pro though, but moving forward, this will be the basis for third-party OEM builds.

As has been the case for a little while now, Samsung has continued the recent exceptional update cadence for its immensely popular Galaxy series. The March patch for Galaxy devices arrived in late January and puts many other OEMs to shame.

The bimonthly update process for OnePlus smartphones means that keeping track of scheduled updates for your device is a little bit tricky. That said, the February 2022 update has hit a vast portion of eligible OnePlus smartphones including the current flagship OnePlus 9 series. Prior to this, we saw a very late rollout of the January 2021 security patch for a small pool of selected devices, including the OnePlus Nord and OnePlus 9 series. At this point in time, the March 2022 security patch has only arrived on a few OnePlus devices, but we expect that to change over the coming days and weeks.

Since the last update rolled out, the OnePlus 8, 8T, and India-only 9R series are now starting to receive the stable OxygenOS 12 update with Android 12. The former flagship duo has been part of a wider Open Beta update period prior to this OTA rolling out. It’s a limited rollout for those previously enrolled upon the beta phase right now, so it’s unclear if the March patch is included for those devices. We will update this post should we receive confirmation.

OnePlus devices with the March 2022 update

As the biggest and best OnePlus smartphone in Western regions, the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro have been receiving the March 2022 security patch in a fairly prompt fashion. OxygenOS 12 C.47 is rolling out right now for the duo with the patch notes mentioning some fixes for data connections, MMS issues, and overall system stability alongside the March patch.

OxygenOS 11.A.07 is now rolling out for the OnePlus 9RT, which includes the March 2022 security patch. Weirdly, this stable update is based upon Android 11 and heading out at the same time as the Android 12 rollout with OxygenOS 12. You could infer that the OxygenOS 12 update, therefore, must include the very latest security patch too. However, we simply do not know at this stage. The patch also tweaks some of the 9RT’s performance but with limited global availability, it’s not quite a wide rollout.

The first device to actually get the latest March patch was, in fact, the OnePlus Nord CE. Basically an even cheaper version of the original OnePlus Nord, it isn’t exactly superb, but it’s a nice phone for the price. OxygenOS 11.0.16.16 appears to be heading out (via XDA), but this patch also includes a number of fixes for the modest camera setup here too. Of course, this update is still based upon Android 11, with no word shared on a potential OxygenOS 12 and Android 12 update coming any time soon to this budget device.

Devices still awaiting the March patch

While we’re seeing a very small pool of devices get the latest patch, a larger selection of the OnePlus hardware lineup should be updated with the February 2022 security patches — but all devices are noted below. As patches are often served on a bimonthly cadence, you may see some devices skipped ahead of a wider rollout of an upcoming patch.

It’s also important to note that OnePlus has officially confirmed that the 6 and 6T series will no longer be updated or supported over the coming months. The 2018 flagship duo received a surprise update in mid-November and now will only be supported via third-party unofficial means moving forward.

How can I get the March 2022 security patch on my OnePlus device?

OnePlus has a habit of rolling out updates for devices in a staged manner. That means that the initial release and subsequent confirmation on the OnePlus Forums don’t always indicate when you’ll be able to grab an OTA file and get your device updated/patched.

Our advice is to use a third-party application to get updates in a timely manner. The community-run Oxygen Updater allows you to sideload official update .zip files as soon as they are available publicly. While this will ensure you get updates right away, if you encounter problems, you may need to revert to an older build. This may require a device reset if problems are major.