As part of today’s Android 11 release news, OnePlus has introduced the first open beta of Android 11 for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. If you own either device, you can start testing Android 11 and the large adjustments to OxygenOS right now.
The update is sort of large for the OnePlus 8 series and heavily tweaks the UI to look much less like the OxygenOS you already know and love, and more like Samsung’s One UI. It does deliver an always-on display, although, so at least there’s that. There’s a new dark mode toggle too, new clock styles, new themes for Zen Mode, a new story function within the OnePlus Gallery app, and more.
The full list of adjustments are as follows:
- System
- Fresh new UI visual design brings you a more comfortable experience with numerous optimizations of details
- Brand new weather UI helps dynamic switches between sunrise and sunset. You can have day and night at your hand now
- Optimized the brightness bar display in the status bar, enabling you to quickly alter it by pulling down quick settings.
- Game space
- Newly added gaming tools box for handy switches of Fnatic mode, WeChat, QQ, and Screen Recorder at one place (Enable it by swiping down from upper right/left corners of the screen in gaming mode)
- Newly added mis-touch prevention feature. Enable it, swipe down from the top of the screen, click and the notification bar will pop out
- Ambient display
- Added Always-on ambient Display function, custom Schedule / All day option included. Path: Settings – Display – Ambient Display.
- Added 10 new clock styles. Path: Settings – Customization – Clock Style
- Newly added Insight clock style, a joint creation with Parsons School of Design. It will change in accordance with phone usage data. ( To set: Settings>Customization>Clock Style)
- Dark mode
- Added the shortcut key for Dark Mode, pull down the quick set to enable.
- Supporting automatically turn on feature & customize time range. path: Settings – Display – Dark Mode – Turn on automatically – Automatically enable from sunset to sunrise / Custom time range.
- Zen Mode
- Added 5 new themes (ocean, space, grassland, Zen space1, Zen space2), and more timing options.
- Included the Group feature in Zen Mode, now you’ll be able to invite your pals and allow the Zen Mode together
- Gallery
- Supporting Story operates, automatically form weekly videos with pictures and video in storage.
If you’d wish to get this update on your phone and take it for a spin, it’s fairly simple to do. You’ll click the link below, download the right Android 11 Open Beta 1 file to your phone, place the file in your phone, then head into Settings -> System -> System Updates -> Click the top-right icon -> Local upgrade -> and choose the file.
Keep in mind that you could update from stable Android 10 to this Android 11 Open Beta without wiping your phone or losing data. However, in order to return back to the stable channel for OTA updates, you’ll need to roll back and that will wipe your phone.
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