OnePlus Nord is now marked as EOL (End of Life)
EDITS
2024-02-01 21:00 IST: EU got it as well, very quickly right after GLO/ROW. Thus, all regions have received F.23, the last and final update for OnePlus Nord.
2024-02-01 19:48 IST: GLO/ROW also received F.23.
In a comment by Winkey W. (Head of the OxygenOS Operation Team), OnePlus has announced that they've fulfilled the software update lifecycle promise for the Nord. This device — like many from that time — was supposed to receive 2 years of major updates and 1 additional year of security patches. Nord launched with OxygenOS 10, and F.23 (OxygenOS 12.1) is the last update for this device. There will be no further official updates after this.
Image credit: OnePlus
Recently, they came out with another new commitment: 4 years of major Android updates and 1 more year of security updates (total 5 years). However, that applies only to devices released from 2023 onwards.
It was relatively well known that the Nord was supposed to go EOL by end 2023 or early 2024, in accordance with their software maintenance schedule. Here's the changelog for F.23:
System
- Integrates the December 2023 Android security patch to enhance system security.
It's disappointing that this build rolled out at the end of January 2024, yet comes with a 1-month old security patch: December 2023. This means that even though it's the last build, you're already missing out on fixes for many critical/high severity vulnerabilities. OnePlus has rarely ever delivered the current month's security patch in their updates, which is dissatisfying for everyone. From a user perspective, nothing good came out of the merger with Oppo after all.
It's also worth noting that OnePlus claims the rollout has started for Indian devices (AC2001), but this is not true (at the time of writing this article and the forum post going live). Other regions have also not received F.23 yet. If you get it on your device, email us at [email protected]. We can instruct you on how to capture the OTA ZIP URL, so that everyone else can update ASAP.
A device being marked EOL (End of Life) by its manufacturer doesn't prevent you from using it anymore, as you could always go down the custom ROM route — LineageOS is a great place to start. Note that installing a custom ROM requires unlocking your bootloader, which in turn wipes device data. Regardless, we highly recommend you do so, so that you can continue using your device if the hardware is still functioning properly. Moreover, newer security patches will be made available to you via these custom ROMs.
Sources: OnePlus Community
If you have questions, you can join our Discord server and chat with other members of our community. Keep in mind that this was OnePlus' decision of course, not ours.