OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1 w/ Android 12 now available for OnePlus 7/7T series

With Android 13 on the horizon, OnePlus is now finally offering OnePlus 7 and 7T series owners the opportunity to install Android 12 with the launch of the OxygenOS 12 Open Beta.

Announced in two separate posts on the OnePlus Forums, OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1 can now be sideloaded on OnePlus 7/7 Pro and OnePlus 7T/7T Pro units. The divisive update certainly bears a striking resemblance to Oppo’s ColorOS, that is despite protestations from OnePlus that the “unified platform” will not be coming after all.

Aesthetically, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between OxygenOS 12 on OnePlus 7 series devices and ColorOS or Realme UI on Oppo and Realme devices. However, a new software update is important and Android 12 offers a number of improvements to the core OS that will undoubtedly improve the daily experience you’ll have with a OnePlus 7 or 7T series handset.

One caveat is that to install OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1 on your OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7T, or 7T Pro you will need to already be running OxygenOS 11.0.71 or 11.0.8.1 before proceeding. These builds contain prerequisites that are not contained within the OxygenOS 12 Open Beta ZIP files that are required for Android 12 to run correctly.

Both builds for the 7 and 7T series contain the June 2022 security patch, which means you’re up-to-date — at least for now. You can check out the full changelog below:

• System
  • Newly added Smart Battery Engine, a feature that prolongs your battery life based on smart algorithms and biomimetic self-restoration technology
  • Redesigns app icons using new materials to give more depth and a greater sense of space and texture to the icons
  • Revamps the page layout based on the principle of reducing visual noise and optimizes the presentation of text and color to make key information stand out
  • Optimized desktop icons with improved textures, by using a design inspired by brand-new materials and uniting lights and layers
  • Optimized spam block rules: Adds a rule for blocking MMS messages
• Games
  • Newly added the HyperBoost end-to-end frame rate stabilizer
  • Newly added Voice effect preview to allow you to record your voice effect or check your voice effect in real time
• Dark mode
  • Dark mode now supports three adjustable levels, bringing a more personalized and comfortable user experience
• Shelf
  • New additional style options for Cards, making data contents more visual and easier to read
  • Newly added access to OnePlus Scout in Shelf, allowing you to search multiple contents on your phone, including Apps, Settings, Media Data, etc
• Work Life Balance
  • Work Life Balance feature is now available to all users, allowing you to effortlessly switch between Work and Life mode via quick settings
  • WLB 2.0 now supports automatic Work/Life mode switching, based on specific locations, Wi-Fi network, and time, also bringing customized App notification profiles according to the personalization
• Gallery
  • Gallery now allows you to switch between different layouts with a two-finger pinch gesture, intelligently recognizing the best-quality pictures, and cropping the thumbnail based on the content, making the gallery layout more pleasing
• Canvas AOD
  • Canvas AOD brings you new diverse styles of lines and colors, for a more personalized lock screen experience with inspiring visuals
  • Newly added multiple brushes and strokes and support for color adjustment
  • Optimized software algorithm and improved face recognition to better identify the features and skin color of different figures
• Accessibility
  • Optimized categorization of functions by grouping them into vision, hearing, interactive actions, and general
  • TalkBack supports more system apps including Photos, Phone, Mail, and Calendar 

Of course, before attempting to install, ensure you have at least 30% battery remaining and 4GB of onboard storage free. This process should not wipe any personal data on your device, but we would highly recommend backing up any important files and photos before joining the beta program. Downgrading or rolling back to Android 11 will cause you to lose device data if you are not happy with OxygenOS 12 and Android 12 on your OnePlus 7 or 7T series handset.

More on OnePlus:

• OnePlus has rolled out the June patch to these phones
• OnePlus Nord N20 is now available unlocked in the US
• OnePlus 10T renders show familiar wraparound camera design, flat display, more