OnePlus announced OB6 was the last OOS11-based Open Beta for Nord
While this article concerns only Nord users, we decided to publish it for all devices, as a follow-up to what we theorized in the 8-series & 8T OB shutdown article. With the end of OOS11 Open Beta for Nord as well, there are currently 0 devices that have a beta track. We'll wait and see if OnePlus opens up Open Beta again, for OxygenOS 12.
It's well-known that the Open Beta (OB) release cycle for a device ends about a year before it reaches its End-of-Life (EOL; which is also when it receives the last stable build). However we just got news: the OxygenOS 11 Open Beta track for OnePlus Nord has ended today (17th September 2021). We've expected this for some time, given that OB for 8-series & 8T also ended earlier than expected (Q3/Q4). Previously, OnePlus used to announce the end of an OB update track after a new flagship launch, probably because they intended to focus more on newer devices. However, this time there was no new flagship announced — only the "budget" Nord 2.
So, Open Beta 6 was the last one for the Nord — released on 5th September 2021.
Note that this announcement was worded merely as the end of the OOS11-based beta track, and Open Beta may open up again for OxygenOS 12. Open Beta builds were a great way for enthusiasts to try new features and get up-to-date security patches every month. Their justification for shutting down OB early is the recent Oppo-OnePlus merger — they cite "stronger R&D resources that can better test" builds on the stable track. To us, that is merely an excuse. After all, they haven't adjusted the release cycle for stable builds — it's still at 1 build every 2 months, which is hilariously slow compared to other companies. The only commitment they've made is that newer flagships would receive 3 major upgrades and an additional year of security patches, which doesn't apply to the original Nord.
What does this mean for you if you are on the Open Beta track?
There are two options:
1. Switch back to the stable branch (recommended)
Moving from beta back to the stable branch requires a full data wipe, so make sure to backup all important stuff before your proceed! (this is standard for a OnePlus device). You can use OnePlus Switch (recently renamed to "Clone Phone") for backup purposes (remember to copy the "opbackup" folder somewhere else, like a PC, so that you can restore it after the rollback process). If you're familiar with installing updates via Local Upgrade (you should be, since you've been using Oxygen Updater already), here are the respective rollback packages for each region of the OnePlus Nord (they'll take you back to 11.1.5.5):
Note: these rollback ZIPs are meant only for the OnePlus Nord. Also, please ensure that you download the ZIP for the correct region, and you flash these builds only if you're currently on the beta track.
If you're not familiar with the process, we recommend you to refer to the source post for detailed instructions. TLDR: download the above linked ZIPs, and move them from the Downloads directory to the topmost directory of Internal Storage. You may also have to remove the additional ".jar" at the end.
Note that OnePlus recommends that you flash the rollback build twice for stability reasons (so you should save a copy of the rollback ZIP somewhere else to avoid re-downloading it).
Once you're back on the stable branch, you'll continue to receive stable updates both via the system OTA, as well as via Oxygen Updater itself — make sure you select one of the stable update methods in the app's settings: "Stable (full)" or "Stable (incremental)" (depending on whether you have an unlocked bootloader or not).
2. Remain on the Open Beta track, even though you won't receive any more betas
Keep in mind that you won't receive new features, security patches, or bug-fixes anymore. We do not recommend this at all — you really should opt for the previous option.
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