Android P: now available

Great news today, folks. After a short testing period, OnePlus has already released the update to Android P for the OnePlus 6. This is the stable version, so it's meant for everybody and should not contain major bugs or issues. 

This is by far the fastest release of a new major Android version, following the release by Google just over a month ago. It is clear that the software development team of OnePlus has done a really great job this year.

Read below to see what's new, and more detailed instructions on how to install it if you are currently using the beta version.

Image credit: OnePlus

What's new?

The new Android P update contains many improvements, of which the major features are listed below:

- New navigational gestures, such as swiping up from the home button to view recent apps

- Searching within the content of apps using the search bar (if apps have been updated for this)

- Smart prediction of things you are going to use within apps (such as messaging specific people). Available in the app drawer by holding the app icon.

Other minor improvements include:

- A better do-not-disturb mode

- Suggestions to disable notifications which you are always swiping away

- A new rotation lock icon in the on screen buttons bar, so you can always lock your screen to a specific orientation

- Clearer volume controls, indicating media type and displayed horizontally.

Finally, OnePlus added some OnePlus-specific features as well:

- A new gaming mode to prevent notifications disrupting your game 

- Accent color customization (styling / theming of apps)

How do I get it?

The update is available in Oxygen Updater and will soon be rolled-out via the regular system updates app, if you prefer to get it that way.

For users running the regular / stable version of OxygenOS

You only have to download and install the update using Oxygen Updater. That shouldn't be that hard, right?

For users running the Open Beta or the Android P developer preview (previously named "Android P beta" in Oxygen Updater):

You can still install the final version, but you'll have to factory reset your device and switch the update method of the app to either Full or Incremental update afterwards. That can be done by tapping the three dots in the top right of Oxygen Updater, choosing Settings and selecting a new update method on that screen.