Chinese smartphone maker, OnePlus today announced the first Open Beta build based on Android 9 Pie for the OnePlus 6. Up until now, Android 9 Pie was available for OnePlus 6 as a Developer Preview version, and now, OnePlus must've felt that it's stable enough to be made available as an Open Beta version. According to the changelog provided by OnePlus, this Open Beta 1 version for the OnePlus 6 brings in a brand new UI based, and of course, the infamous Android P gesture navigation is also available. As always, being a Beta update, it has some bugs such as apps incompatibility and issues with Google Play Services.
OnePlus 6 Android 9 Pie Open Beta 1 Features
Diving into the features of the Open Beta 1, it has all the features introduced by Google such as new user interface for notification panel, Settings app and more. OnePlus has termed the new UI as 'Brand new UI for Android P,' so the user interface comes laid on top of OxygenOS UI. Yes, the Open Beta 1 features Android P's gesture navigation, but it would be interesting to see how well OnePlus has optimised it.
OnePlus has added new Gaming Mode 3.0 with some improved features, New Do Not Disturb mode with adjustable settings, custom accent colour customisation, text notification shade, notification for third-party calls and a few more OnePlus' OxygenOS customisations.
OnePlus 6 Android 9 Pie Open Beta 1: Known Issues
Alongside mentioning the features, OnePlus has also rolled out issues which exist on this first Open Beta build for the OnePlus 6. First and foremost, some applications may not function as expected when running on the beta version, which is a known feature. OnePlus confirmed that Google Pay service is not working on this build, which doesn't matter for Indian users as Google is yet to launch Google Pay in India. Lastly, Google Play Store might show "Device is not Certified by Google," which is an issue to not worry about.
Furthermore, being the first Open Beta build, there might be some stability issues as well. So, do keep these issues in mind before installing the Open Beta 1 based on Android 9 Pie on the OnePlus 6.
OnePlus 6 Android 9 Pie Open Beta 1: How to Install
OnePlus is known for issuing detailed guides on how to install Open Beta builds on its smartphones and the legacy continues. OnePlus has a detailed guide to installing the Open Beta 1 on your OnePlus 6.
For the users who are coming from Android Oreo to Android P Beta, they've to download the ROM upgrade package by heading over here. After that, users should head over to Settings> system updates > top right corner icon > local upgrade > click on the installation package > immediately upgrade > system upgrade to 100%. After successful installation, the device will automatically reboot to Android 9 Pie.
For the users already on Android P Developer Preview 1, they have to download the ROM from the URL mentioned above and follow the same procedure of installing the Open Beta version. After successful installation, they should now manually boot into Recovery mode to wipe the device. To boot into the recovery mode, turn off the device and perform- power button + volume down. Then wipe the device by following- Select Wipe data/factory reset, click power, select yes, confirm. For these users, the device will be completely wiped, and the data will be lost.
OnePlus 6 Android 9 Pie Open Beta 1: How to Roll Back to Android Oreo
For the users who want to downgrade back to Android Oreo stable build, download the latest Android Oreo ROM package by heading over here. Then again, head over to Settings> system updates > top right corner icon > local upgrade > click on the installation package > immediately upgrade > system upgrade to 100%. Also, please note that the upgrade will clear all contents of the phone.
