Some OnePlus System Apps are now available in the Play Store
OnePlus has released some of its system apps on Google Play.
Known as "Individiual Application Upgrade", This move allows OnePlus to update these apps whenever they want, without requiring them to release a system update.
As of September 2017, the following system apps have been released on Google Play, supporting Individual Application Upgrade:
- OnePlus Launcher (The home screen of your device)
- OnePlus Community (An app for browsing the OnePlus Forums)
- OnePlus Weather
- OnePlus Gallery
Individual Application Upgrade is currently compatible with the following devices:
- OnePlus 3
- OnePlus 3T
- OnePlus 5
What does this mean for me?
If you have a OnePlus 3, 3T or 5, you'll receive more and faster updates for these apps.
For example, OnePlus may update the Gallery app on a bi-weekly basis, while updating the Launcher on a 2-monthly basis. You will get the updated version of the apps, even if you don't have updated your device to the latest OxygenOS version yet.
However, if you have a OnePlus One, 2 or X, you are unfortunately out of luck. You may still continue to use the current versions of these apps - but don't expect any new updates for them.
What does this mean for OnePlus?
OnePlus can continue working on these apps and keeps releasing new updates for them. This allows them to be more flexible as for when to release new versions of the apps.
Also, if OnePlus does decide to release a new OxygenOS version, it will bundle the then-latest versions of the apps with it. This is still required because you would otherwise lose access to the apps.
Conclusion
Individual Applicaton Upgrade is a nice incentive from OnePlus, but in my opinion, it's just the beginning. I hope they'll add more system apps to Google Play - a great example being the Camera app. That way, OnePlus may add new effects / filters to the app, without requiring a system update to be released.
Image Credit: Google Play
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