OnePlus has announced the decision to merge OxygenOS codebase with Oppo's ColorOS. The announcement is a part of the strategic tie-up between the two companies, resulting in deeper integration. It essentially means that OnePlus is now an Oppo sub-brand but will continue to operate as an independent entity.

The blog post reveals that end-users will not notice any difference in the way they use OxygenOS. The user experience will largely remain unchanged for all OnePlus global users. The sharing codebase will only affect the software update schedule which the company believes will get more regular and stable. The move makes sense as we have seen OnePlus devices lag behind in terms of getting software updates and upgrades on time. The current situation is completely the opposite of what it used to be during the early days when OnePlus devices were one of the first and regular devices to get Android updates.

These new changes will be applicable to all new OnePlus devices that will release in the future. For existing devices that are still part of the software support schedule, these changes will come into effect with the Android 12 OTA release. The team has also announced a new software update schedule that looks more promising than the previous one.

All OnePlus flagship devices including "T" and "R" models will get three major Android updates and four years of security updates. It is applicable for the OnePlus 8 series or higher. The first OnePlus Nord and newer Nord / Nord CE devices will receive two major Android updates and three years of security updates. Lastly, all N series devices starting from the OnePlus Nord N10 and N100 will receive one major Android update and three years of security updates.