OnePlus Launcher 4.3.3 essentially confirms the Verizon OnePlus 8 with NFC wallpaper customization

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OnePlus rolled out OnePlus Launcher 4.3.3 to the Google Play Store today with a few user-facing changes such as the ability to hide icon labels and an AMOLED black theme for the Shelf. However, we analyzed the APK and came across a few interesting discoveries pertaining to the upcoming OnePlus 8 smartphone series.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

Verizon OnePlus 8 essentially confirmed

AndroidPolice has twice reported on Verizon’s plans to sell OnePlus phones. They first reported back in September of 2019 that Verizon inked a deal to carry OnePlus phones in 2020. Then in January of this year, they followed up with a more specific report claiming that the OnePlus 8 will be launching on Verizon with support for the carrier’s mmWave “Ultra WideBand” network. OnePlus first entered the U.S. market through a partnership with T-Mobile, and they expanded their presence last year by partnering with Sprint for the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. Signing with Verizon is a logical next move for OnePlus, and assuming the rumors of the OnePlus 8’s impending launch are true, we could see the Verizon OnePlus 8 5G launched in just a few weeks.

While we don’t have any additional details to share on this partnership, our analysis of OnePlus Launcher version 4.3.3 essentially confirms that there will indeed be a Verizon SKU of the next OnePlus smartphone. There are multiple pieces of evidence we can point to in the latest OnePlus Launcher APK. First, OnePlus has added a new string for a Verizon folder, which suggests that pre-installed Verizon applications will appear in a separate folder on the home screen. (Hat tip to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for bringing this one to our attention.)

<string name="verizon_folder_title">Verizon</string>

Next, in the “SkuHelper” class, we spotted a method called “isVerizon” that returns true if the software type is “Verizon.” This suggests the Verizon model will run separate software like the existing T-Mobile OnePlus 6T/7 Pro/7T Pro and Sprint OnePlus 7 Pro devices. Finally, a switch statement in the DeviceHelper class explicitly lists the “OnePlus8VZW” as one of the cases. This is alongside “OnePlus8TMO” and other OnePlus devices. This is the clearest evidence yet of the existence of a Verizon OnePlus 8.

NFC Wallpapers Customization

Since this is just the launcher application, there’s not a lot of info about the actual device in it. However, we did spot a new in-development feature for the OnePlus 8. The feature will presumably let you scan an NFC tag to set a unique wallpaper. OnePlus Launcher 4.3.3 added two new strings, one that says “hey, you’ve found a brand new wallpaper!” that presumably appears when you scan a tag and another that says “set wallpaper” that presumably appears in the button that lets you set that image as your current wallpaper.

<string name="nfc_customization_wallpaper">Hey, you've found a brand new wallpaper!</string> <string name="setting_nfc_customization_wallpaper">Set wallpaper</string>

There’s also a new broadcast receiver in the Manifest with the name net.oneplus.launcher.wallpaper.CustomizationWallpaperNFCReceiver and the intent action filter net.oneplus.launcher.action.CUSTOMIZATION_WALLPAPER_NFC_DETECTED. This receiver allows the OnePlus Launcher to detect when an NFC tag preformatted to send this intent has been scanned. In the CustomizationWallpaperNFCReceiver and LauncherSettings classes, we can see that this feature is limited to the new OnePlus 8 series (there are calls to a method in DeviceHelper called “isAtLeastOP8DeviceVersion”) and that there are a total of 3 wallpapers to choose from. Perhaps OnePlus will sell cases that have built-in NFC tags that, when scanned, change the wallpaper on the OnePlus 8 to match the case. Google used to do this with Live Cases a few years ago. We don’t know exactly how OnePlus plans to surface these wallpapers to users, but we’ll probably find out when the phone launches.

According to a set of credible leaks from @Onleaks, there will be 3 devices in the OnePlus 8 series: the OnePlus 8 Lite, the OnePlus 8, and the OnePlus 8 Pro. The 8 Lite is expected to have a 90Hz display and the MediaTek Dimensity 1000L processor while the 8 and 8 Pro are expected to have 120Hz displays and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. All three devices are expected to have hole-punch displays, and wireless charging may also finally be supported this time around. We’ll update you when we learn more about the OnePlus 8 series.

Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.