OxygenOS 11 comes to 6/6T in the form of an Open Beta

UPDATES

2021-07-08 21:05 IST:

The first OxygenOS 11 Open Beta for the 6/6T is out, which is earlier than expected. OnePlus had originally announced that this build would come by the end of August 2021 (read below for more information), so this is sure to excite 6/6T users. Even more good news is that the security patch for this build is 1st July 2021 (meaning you get a security patch on time for once). Though we implore you to cautious — the first major builds generally come with quite a few bugs.

We recommend you read our dedicated article linked above, as it contains more information if you want to install this OOS11 Open Beta build on device.

2021-05-06 21:45 CET:

Added information about the OnePlus 6 and 6T receiving LineageOS 18.1 nightly builds, based on Android 11.

As you may have read in our other articles, OnePlus released OxygenOS 11 for the OnePlus 8-series, Nord, 7T-series and 7-series. As OnePlus promised, the OnePlus 6(T), N10 5G and N100 are the next devices to receive OxygenOS 11. After testing as the form of an Open Beta, builds went to stable channel.

Now, OnePlus announced in a post on the forums, saying that OxygenOS 11 for the 6 and 6T is scheduled to be released at the end of August as the form of an Open Beta. This is relatively late, if you put it in comparison with when they released Android 10 for the 5 and 5T, which was released in May 2020. One of the reasons could be that they have released quite a lot of devices in one year time.

While OnePlus seems to struggle with preparing OxygenOS 11 for the OnePlus 6 and 6T (we expected it to be released in Q2 instead of Q3, based on previous trends; the OnePlus 5(T) got Android 10 in April/May 2020), the developers of LineageOS already released nightly builds for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T. LineageOS is a free and open-source custom ROM, providing a relatively clean Android experience with a good amount of features. With version 18.1, which is also available for other OnePlus devices, the biggest change is the upgrade to Android 11. With this new release, LineageOS said they mainly focused on adding new features. For example, all LineageOS apps now have support for dark mode. It's now also possible for non-A/B devices to update the recovery image (LineageOS Recovery) along with a system update. This works just as how any stock OS would work. For a safe and secure feeling, LineageOS 18.1 also contains all security patches from April 2020 to March 2021.

As the OnePlus 6 and 6T will likely be marked as EoL (End-of-Life) in November 2021, it might be a very good moment to make the switch to a custom ROM like LineageOS. By switching to a custom ROM, you will be able to extend the phone's life by at least a few years, in case you do not plan to buy a new phone any time soon.