Above all else, software should serve the needs of its users. That means developing software is a process of continuous evolution and adaptation. As the needs of users change, so too does the purpose of our software. Two things have remained universal throughout the development of OxygenOS – “Fast and Smooth”. We spoke to our resident software expert @Szymon K. , with a few pointers from User Experience Lead Crayon Hsieh, to talk OxygenOS, the OnePlus 6T, Android Pie, and more.We’re working on a ton of exciting stuff for the OnePlus 6T. We’ve got a whole new UI coming up that you will have to experience for yourself to really understand. Our goal was to express the OnePlus design language in our UI, making this the most distinct and intuitive version of OxygenOS yet. We’ve also put a lot of work into improving the camera behind the scenes, so you can expect to take even better pictures. (Although, I can’t reveal exactly what we improved just yet… stay tuned!). I think the best way to learn about the new features coming to OxygenOS is to experience them for yourself.Our focus is always on providing a fast and smooth experience. We’ve got this specialized ‘FSE’ team, where ‘FSE’ stands for ‘Fast, Smooth, and Efficient’. Their goal is to make the most out of our hardware. You can expect to see a couple of features that make the user experience smoother, like an advanced Do not Disturb mode and new Navigation Gestures.OxygenOS provides a fast, smooth & burden-less experience with no gimmicks.We've made Navigation Gestures smoother overall. Whenever you swipe up in an app, the application window will follow your finger, making for a more natural experience. It's also faster in two ways: with a quick flick from the bottom of the screen towards the right of your screen, you can change between 2 recently used apps. As there's no navigation bar when using gestures, users weren’t able to double-tap the "recents" button to quickly switch between apps. This new gesture provides a quick and easy substitute. Another thing users couldn't do with Gestures in version 1 was quickly accessing Google Assistant. That's why we've added a new action: just hold the power button for 0.5s to activate Google Assistant.: As displays get taller and taller, we want to find a way that users can continue to navigate their phones with one hand. So, that’s why we implemented full-screen gestures. We spent a lot of time tweaking every animation. Every swipe was tested over 1000 times to ensure the motion felt natural.Our FSE team is working on a number of optimizations to the power consumption of OxygenOS, making use of the Qualcomm™ Snapdragon® 845. One of the things they've added is an AI-based algorithm that will allow the phone to learn when you sleep, so it can minimize background usage and reduce power consumption accordingly.Our users are always excited about new Android version updates. They know that OnePlus is the kind of company that embraces what's great about Pure Android and simply adds to it, rather than ruining the base Android experience; hence the excitement.We believe that technology should serve people, not the other way around. Thus, we support initiatives that are meant to help users monitor and, if necessary, limit their smartphone usage. We've always developed our software with user experience in mind, which often means designing software in a way that ensures completing a single action takes as little time as possible. There are multiple examples of this, off-screen gestures and QuickPay being two of the most notable. We're striving to reduce the amount of taps required to perform a single interaction or action. We strongly believe in a balanced approach to software design, which includes balancing smartphone usage.: From a software perspective, our goal is to help users to finish their tasks as soon as possible rather than trapping users in our system. We always keep this concept in mind. When users open one app, how can they recognize what they need to do, and move on to the next step? When they’re done, we want to encourage them to get off the phone and embrace the real world. Smartphones should serve our life, not dominate it.You’re welcome! We’ll have a lot more to share about the future of OxygenOS soon, so keep an eye out.OxygenOS remains one of the most compelling reasons to use a OnePlus device. Much of our software’s success is owed to you, our community. From the name to every single feature and optimization, every aspect of OxygenOS has been carefully tuned and adjusted according to your feedback. Together, we have built arguably the best version of Android available on any smartphone. Thank you!