OnePlus 6: It’s time OnePlus addresses its OS problem

OnePlus is expected to deliver top-of-the-line specifications with its OnePlus 6. But what about stable OS updates?

OnePlus 6 to go on sale in India on May 21 (OnePlus/Amazon Germany)

OnePlus 6 is almost here. If the recent official teasers and details from the market buzz are to be believed, OnePlus 6 looks like a big upgrade from the previous phones. Not in just terms of specifications but also design and overall look and feel. But there's one thing that OnePlus hasn't really talked about in its teasers - custom Oxygen OS. All we know that the phone will be compatible with Android P Beta, joining a rare league non-Google phones.

It's understandable that operating systems aren't usually marketable, hence there's very little discussion around it. But the lack of a stable OS is something that has been OnePlus' Achilles heel for a very long time. Even on its current flagship mode, OnePlus 5T, the Oxygen OS hasn't been really glitch free. While OnePlus 5T has been commercially successful, the smartphone hasn't been without the software related problems.

Earlier this year, OnePlus rolled out Android Oreo update to its OnePlus 5 after suspending the initial Over-The-Air update. The original OxygenOS 5.0 was suspended because of a bug in the build. The company later fixed the bug with a newer OTA update. A similar thing happened with OnePlus 5T when the company had to halt Android 8.0 (Oreo) beta update due to bug in the build.

Back in December last year, OnePlus rolled out Android 8.0 firmware update for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 4T users. But the update was withdrawn shortly. Those who had installed the update claimed to have faced issues with volume speakers, Wi-Fi and a few applications.

Just last month, OnePlus rolled back open beta software after reports of batter draining bugs. According to reports, the bug affected not just OnePlus 5T, but even older OnePlus 3T, and OnePlus 3.

Now that the OnePlus 6 launch is just hours away, it will be really worth seeing how much attention the company will be paying to the operating system and delivering timely and regular stable updates for both beta and final version users.