Android 11 surprise: OnePlus owners are going to LOVE this

OnePlus 8 and 8 Plus handsets get access to Android 11 beta

Android 11 logo
(Image credit: Google)
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Well, that period of Pixel exclusivity didn’t last long. When Google unveiled the Android 11 beta, the only compatible handsets were the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4 and all the XL versions. But just a day later, OnePlus is offering the same new functionality for its OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro handsets.

That’s pretty impressive work by the Chinese firm, and it looks like its countrymates Xiaomi and Oppo will be following soon. That said, we recommended that you avoid the Android 11 beta yesterday, and that applies doubly so here.

While the beta for Pixel phones is advertised as open to everyone, the OnePlus specific version is labeled as being a developer-only update. That means it’s aimed at those making Android apps, who are looking to ensure compatibility when the latest version of the OS rolls out to everybody. Or as OnePlus puts it: “As it is still in an early stage of development, we do not recommend flashing this ROM if you have little experience in software development.

“Proceed at your discretion,” the note adds, and elsewhere the company is even more blunt: “You should understand there is a risk of BRICKING your phone” (emphasis theirs, not ours.) 

Even if you are an experienced developer and think you can handle the myriad challenges an unstable operating system presents, OnePlus has already acknowledged some known issues which should, at the very least, make you think twice:

Given that last point is kind of a catch-all warning for a generally poor performance, it’d take a brave person to take the plunge. But if you still want to give it a whirl, you can do so here. Currently, the update’s landing page seems to be geo blocked and only worked for us when we went via a US VPN.

Alan Martin
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