OnePlus 8-series and Nord added to Android Enterprise Recommended program
Update 2020-09-10 22:50 GMT+2:00
OnePlus Nord was certified for AER today. We've updated the article to reflect this information.
Update 2020-08-31 14:56 GMT+5:30:
OnePlus 8 Pro was certified for AER sometime in the past few days. We've updated the article to reflect this information.
Update 2020-08-19 12:14 GMT+2:00:
OnePlus USA public relations told XDA-Developers that the OnePlus 8 Pro is also Android Enterprise Recommended while the OnePlus Nord will receive certification in the near future. Neither the 8 Pro nor the Nord have been added to the AER list yet. We'll update the article when it does.
Source: Twitter
The Android Enterprise Recommended program has been around since 2018. Initially, only a select few devices were part of the list, but now that number has grown to a substantial 181 phones.
On 14th August, OnePlus 8 was the only OnePlus device that was certified for AER. However, the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus Nord are also certified for AER now. Back in January 2020, OnePlus said they aimed to include their devices in this program, so we can only hope that the 8 Pro and Nord will also be certified soon, as well as any future OnePlus device. Older devices are unlikely to be added to this list, but only time will tell what can happen.
Other notable OEMs who have their devices certified are BlackBerry, Google, LG, Nokia, Oppo, Xiaomi, etc. At the time of writing this article, Samsung (which is currently the largest phone manufacturer by market share) does not have any devices in the list yet.
Huawei devices were removed from this list following the US trade ban last year.
What's the AER program about?
The aim of this program is to help enterprise customers make an informed choice when it comes to choosing a device for their work. The requirements for this program are divided into different categories:
- Knowledge Worker Devices - 8.0/9.0
- Minimum Android version: 8/Oreo or 9/Pie respectively
- Minimum hardware requirements: 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, 8+ hour battery, etc.
- At least two major Android version updates should be delivered (including what the device shipped with)
- Security updates should be delivered within 90 days of release from Google
- Rugged Devices
- Minimum Android version: 7/Nougat
- Minimum hardware requirements: 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, IP54 & MIL-STD-810G or IEC 62-2-32 certified, etc.
- At least two major Android version updates should be delivered (including what the device shipped with)
- Security updates should be delivered within 90 days of release from Google, for at least 5 years from launch date of device
Devices that are part of this program can be assumed to receive frequent security patches and have a consistent, stable software experience. We recommend going through the entire list of requirements if you're interested. Alternatively, you can check out this article on XDA Developers that goes into great detail over the new revised requirements for AER.
What does this mean to you?
If you use your OnePlus phone for work, and your company has strict device management policies, this is great news for you. We're confident that the 8 Pro will be added to this list soon, but we're not sure about the Nord and other older devices.
If you don't fall in that category, then this might just seem irrelevant to you. However, this is still great news for OnePlus and its users. Inclusion in the AER program is always a huge positive for the phone(s) - it essentially guarantees frequent & consistent software updates and helps cement the "flagship phone" philosophy.
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