How to install OxygenOS 11 Open Beta on your OnePlus 8/8 Pro

Android 11 is finally here, and after the mandatory stable updates to the Pixel smartphones, OnePlus, Realme and Oppo are the only ones outside of Google to roll out the updates to users. Albeit, all of them are in open beta and Realme is only offering it to 100 users of the Realme X50 Pro. Among them all, the OnePlus OxygenOS 11 Beta is the most easily available, and after using it for a day, it feels quite stable with no major bugs.

Say hello to the next release of @Android with #OxygenOS11. Based on Android 11, the newest version of OxygenOS is faster, smoother and smarter than ever before, with new features designed to make one-handed operation easier and more intuitive. pic.twitter.com/hOTR2zEugj

— OnePlus (@oneplus) September 9, 2020

For users in India, Android 11 can be installed on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 series, the OnePlus 8(₹ 41999 at amazon) and 8 Pro, the Oppo Find X2 and the Realme X50 Pro. Out of them all, the most popular is clearly the OnePlus smartphones launched earlier this year, and most users who purchased the smartphone might be looking forward to getting a taste of the new update. Well, fret not as we are here to detail out all the steps you need to follow to get OxygenOS 11 installed in your OnePlus 8/8 Pro smartphone. Here goes —

How to install OxygenOS 11 Beta with Android 11?

OxygenOS is the custom skin that powers all OnePlus smartphones in India. It’s hailed as one of the best built custom Android skin and offers a minimalist, clean interface with optimisations in place to make the devices feel supercharged. OxygenOS 11 is no different, and brings a host of new features and revamped, new look.

OnePlus also allows a nifty, clean way of installing beta updates on their devices that simply includes downloading the ROM from official sources, granting the necessary permissions and installing it like an OTA update. OnePlus even offers an easy way to roll back to the stable build in case of any issues. And no, this doesn’t wipe off all your data, but it’s advisable to keep a backup of your files and apps.

Step 1 - Download the OxygenOS 11 Beta for either OnePlus 8 or the 8 Pro. They are around 2.7GB in size, so a Wi-Fi connection is recommended. The beta builds are up on the OnePlus Forums, and you can navigate to the right place by simply clicking on this link.

Step 2: Once the file is downloaded, open File Manager. Select the file by long pressing it, and select ‘cut’. Go to the internal storage, and navigate to the root directory. Paste the file here.

Step 3. Go to Settings → System → System Updates. Tap on the Gear icon in the top right corner, and select Local Upgrade. The file you pasted in the root directory will show up here.

Step 4: Select the file and tap Install Now to begin installing the OxygenOS 11 open beta.

Step 5: Reboot the smartphone and go to the About Phone section to check the build number to confirm whether the update is ready to be used.

What’s new in OxygenOS 11 Open Beta?

Updating to the beta build is fairly straightforward, and if you face any pressing issues, you can roll back the update to the previous stable build by following the same process. Only, download the stable ROM for your OnePlus device (keep in mind the location. Users in India will have to select the IN version), and follow the same steps as before.

Now, what’s new in this massive 2.7GB update? For one, the Android version is now the latest and with it, comes nifty new features like grouped notifications, chat bubbles, media controls and more.

OxygenOS 11 also adds a few new things. That finally includes an always-on display, along with a new visual design (that a lot of people say resembles OneUI, but frankly, that’s not a bad thing at all we feel). The Game Space has been revamped to show usage stats, a sidebar inside games, and new additions to Zen Mode and Dark Mode.