OnePlus phone owners can now download Android 15 – but should you?

Android 15 is the next version of Google's mobile operating system, and it'll usher in a range of upgrades, including in-app camera controls to boost the content capture experience, as well as some UI changes. And if you're brave, you can sample Android 15 Beta 1 on your OnePlus phone right now.

For OnePlus users, the software comes in the form of the developer version of OxygenOS and it marks an important point in the development of Android 15. Although the software is being made available, it's not expected to be in final form until August or September at the earliest – and the Oxygen OS version will then come sometime after that.

But putting developer versions out to the community is often a clear indicator that a brand is serious about offering the latest version of Android as soon as it possibly can. While Google's Pixel phones will be the first (and have had access to Android 15 Beta 1 for some time), it looks like OnePlus users won't be far behind when the final version of the software is released.

Only two OnePlus phones currently have access to Android 15 Beta 1: the OnePlus 12 flagship and the OnePlus Open, the company's folding phone. Both come highly recommended, offering one of the best flagship phone experiences and one of the most compelling folding phone experiences.

With that in mind, the question of whether you should install the Android 15 Beta on your OnePlus phone is important. Yes, it will give you access to some areas of development, but this isn't final software.

It's likely that some of the features you're expecting to get access to won't be finished and won't work properly - and in some cases, basic functions of your device might not be optimised for day-to-day use.

So while you can get Android 15 on your OnePlus phone now, I wouldn't recommend it. This is still software that's in development and unless you're happy to have a software experience that's a little more experimental, you might want to wait a little longer.

For example, current issues on the OnePlus 12 include compatibility with Bluetooth connections, third-party apps may crash, Smart Lock doesn't work and some camera functions don't appear correctly on the display. OnePlus goes on to warn that there is a risk of "bricking" your phone.

Unlike the main Android 15 Beta for Pixel, if you're on a OnePlus phone you have to install it manually, it's not a simple opt-in and opt-out like it is for Google devices.