OxygenOS 13 Open Beta 2 for the Nord CE is out (India only)

To install, choose either of "Open Beta" update methods in the app's settings. Rollback instructions are towards the end.
Adhiraj S. Chauhan

EDIT 2023-02-23 16:00 IST: OB2 has rolled out, and of course it's available in the app already. It carries the F.03 version number with the following changelog:

  • Communication
    • Improves the stability of mobile network connections
  • Apps
    • Fixes an issue where you are unable to make voice or video calls with WhatsApp in certain scenarios

OnePlus Nord CE launched on 10th June 2021, and came with OxygenOS 11 out-of-the-box. It's the ninth device to get OxygenOS 13 Open Beta (10 Pro was the first, 9 & Pro were second, 10R was third, 9RT was fourth, 10T was fifth, Nord CE 2 Lite was sixth, Nord 2T was seventh, Nord CE 2 was the eighth), although it's "Open" only in name. Read below for more information.

OxygenOS 13 Open Beta 1 changelog (F.01)

  • Aquamorphic Design
    • Adds Aquamorphic Design theme colors for enhanced visual comfort.
    • Applies the Aquamorphic Design philosophy to animations to make them natural and vivid.
    • Adds Shadow-Reflective Clock, with shadow simulating the orientation of the sun and moon.
    • Adds a Home screen world clock widget to show the time in different time zones.
    • Optimizes UI layers for a clearer and neater visual experience.
    • Adapts responsive layouts to accommodate different screen sizes to improve readability.
    • Optimizes the widget design to make information easier and quicker to find.
    • Optimizes fonts for better readability.
    • Optimizes system icons by using the latest color scheme to make the icons easier to recognize.
    • Enriches and optimizes illustrations for features by incorporating multicultural and inclusive elements.
  • Efficiency
    • Adds large folders to the Home screen. You can now open an app in an enlarged folder with just one tap and turn pages in the folder with a swipe.
    • Adds a new type of Always-On Display that shows live information about music, ride-hailing, and food delivery. (Supports only some apps)
    • Adds media playback control, and optimizes the Quick Settings experience.
    • Adds more markup tools for screenshot editing.
    • Adds support for adding widgets to the Home screen, making information display more personalized.
    • Adds Sidebar Toolbox. You can open floating windows inside apps for smooth operation.
    • Upgrades Doodle in Notes. You can now draw on graphics to take notes more efficiently.
    • Optimizes Shelf. Swiping down on the Home screen will bring up Shelf by default. You can search content online and on your device.
  • Seamless interconnection
    • Optimizes Screencast, with cast content automatically adapting to the target screen.
  • Personalization
    • Optimizes Bitmoji to offer more Always-On Display animations.
    • Adds Omoji to let you fully express yourself with customized avatars.
    • Optimizes Insight Always-On Display, with more personalized Always-On Display settings available.
    • Optimizes Portrait Silhouette Always-On Display, with more drawing tools and line colors available.
  • Security & Privacy
    • Adds an automatic pixelation feature for chat screenshots. The system can identify and automatically pixelate profile pictures and display names in a chat screenshot to protect your privacy.
    • Adds regular clearing of clipboard data for privacy protection.
    • Optimizes Private Safe. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is used to encrypt all files for enhanced security of private files.
  • Health & Digital wellbeing
    • Adds Kid Space. When in Kid Space, your browser app automatically switches to Kids mode to create a child-friendly space.
    • Adds distance-from-phone, ambient light, and sitting posture reminders in Kid Space.
    • Adds Eye comfort in Kid Space to protect children's vision.
  • Gaming experience
    • Upgrades to HyperBoost GPA 4.0 to stabilize the frame rate and balance the performance and power consumption in key scenarios.

There are also known issues in this build, which we have reproduced below for your convenience:

  • Jio 5G users may have some applications unable to connect to the internet during use occasionally (the recovery method is to turn off 5G and restart the phone)

Although you may be hyped by OxygenOS 13 now being available for your device, do remember that this is beta software (as proven by known issues list) and as such, you accept any risks by installing this update. Furthermore, you're expected to report bugs to OnePlus directly by dialing *#800# from the stock phone app. Alternatively, you can also submit feedback via this form. Do also mind that rolling back to OxygenOS 12 at any point will require a full data wipe, so don't get excited and jump into OB1 without considering all its pros and cons.

How can I install this beta?

This is meant only for the Nord CE — it WILL NOT WORK for other devices. Since this is a beta update, make sure to backup all important data before your proceed as it may not be stable!

First of all, OnePlus now follows a completely different process for "Open" Beta builds. It started with the Nord 2T, then the Nord CE 2 Lite, Nord CE 2, and Nord CE were also adopted into this process. Earlier, OnePlus used to have a Closed Beta program, in which they selected people based on their form responses. After that, an Open Beta would start, with public download links so that everyone (hence the name "Open") could try it out. However, with the aforementioned devices, they required users to fill out a form and wait for their application to be accepted — which is very clearly similar to the Closed Beta program. Nothing was "Open" about it:


Source: OnePlus Community post

Anyway, OOS13 beta 1's official download link has been captured by some users in the community, so after rigorously verifying it, we've added it to the app so that you can install it if you choose. However, we highly recommend applying via the normal process (described above), so that OnePlus' software & testing teams don't get overwhelmed with more beta testers than they planned for (at the time of writing, as seen in the screenshot above, OnePlus wants to accept only 5000 users).

Before installing, please ensure your battery level is at least 30% and you have at least 5.5GB space left on your device. If you encounter any bugs in OB1, make sure you report them to OnePlus. Also, it's recommend that you're on the latest version of OxygenOS 12 (C.09/C.10) before installing OOS13 OB1. Neither we nor OnePlus are responsible for any issues you may encounter during the installation process.

You can install the beta using this app itself: close this article, open the app's settings, and switch to one of the "Open Beta" update method — you might have to enable "advanced mode" as well. Then go back to the main screen of the app, and you'll be able to download OB1. You can check the forum thread for more information: https://community.oneplus.com/thread/1255864653553598467.

Can I revert to the stable version of OxygenOS 12?

Yes, please read the forum thread of your device as linked above for detailed instructions. Rolling back will completely wipe all your data, so please take a backup before proceeding.

Make sure you choose the correct rollback package for your device and region. We are providing these links purely for your convenience, as rolling back isn't natively supported by our app. After downloading the correct rollback package, move the file from the "Downloads" directory to the topmost directory of internal storage (the same directory that the "Downloads" folder is in).

Then, open Settings -> About device -> Version and tap "Build number" 7 times. This will enable Android's built-in "developer mode" (you might have to enter your phone's PIN/password too). Once this is done, "Local install" will once again be visible in Settings -> About device -> Software update -> top-right button.

Rollback packages

The following packages will rollback your device to OxygenOS 12 (C.09), and will wipe all your data. Only the Indian rollback ZIP is available, as other regions haven't received the OOS13 beta yet.

Remember: these are rollback packages — they're not the packages you should download if you're looking to switch to Open Beta. For that, close this news article and choose either of the "Open Beta" update methods in the app's settings.

Source: https://community.oneplus.com/thread/1255864653553598467