Android manufacturers resort to three strategies when updating the apps they've built into their phones: they can keep them bundled with the system and only update them with new firmware versions, they can install their own store on the phone and issue updates through it, or they simply publish these apps on the Play Store for faster and easier updates for everyone. The latter is obviously the most consumer-friendly solution and OnePlus' File Manager can now count itself in its ranks.

The explorer comes pre-installed on all OnePlus phones and lets users browse and manage local files by type or storage hierarchy, transfer them quickly between two nearby devices, and lock and archive any file they want to. Until now, the app wasn't available on the Play Store, so the only way to get it updated was to wait for a new firmware or manually download the new version from APK Mirror.

Its new Play Store listing is fresh, though the screenshots seem to have been mistakenly taken from an older version of the app. The page says the app is in "Early Access," but we know it's been on OnePlus devices for years now, so there should be nothing unstable or problematic about it. There's also a beta you can join, but joining it still gives you v2.5.1, the same as the stable release of the app.

The File Manager is only compatible with OnePlus phones, so you can't install it and try it out on other devices, unfortunately. It joins several other OnePlus apps that have made it onto the Play Store in the past few years, like Gallery, Weather, Launcher, and ZenMode. The company still has a ways to go before all its apps are easily updatable, though. The Camera, Clock, Contacts, Messages, Notes, Phone, Recorder, and Screen Recorder are all still not available on the Play Store.