OnePlus Confirms Android O is Last Big Update for OP3/3T, Answers Other Support Questions

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We think it’s fair to say that OnePlus has a rocky reputation when it comes to software support of their older devices. Some of this may be due to the company using an older SoC for a smartphone they just released (the OnePlus X in this case), while they say others are because of their premature software team at the time (the OnePlus 2 in this case). With the company releasing the OnePlus 5 recently, it has led many to wonder how software will be supported on the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T going forward.

So there’s been a surge in questions about software support for the OnePlus 3/3T on their forums and they decided to pool a few of them together for some answers. To do this, they brought in OnePlus’ Head of Product, Oliver, as they’ll be able to given official statements on the topics at hand. The first question starts off by asking why the OnePlus 5 has received more updates since it was released than the OP3/3T has had during that same time frame.

Oliver says the company dedicates a lot of time during the 1-2 months after a new device is released to iron out/add some of the most requested bugs/features. A higher frequency of updates for a brand new phone isn’t unexpected though, and we generally see a few from major OEMs which are trying to fix bugs and improve stability for a newly released device. Another question from different forum member asks why the Open Beta for the OP3/3T has more features than the stable branch.

Oliver says this is how the Open Beta has always been as it enables them to test and experiment with new features even though they aren’t guaranteed to make it into the stable branch anytime soon. Another question asks about security updates and they’re told that due to a delay in OxygenOS 4.5 for the OP3/3T these security patches for August will be pushed “soon” by themselves and without the big 4.5 update.

The company then clarifies that features such as the Reading Mode, new off-screen gestures and DCI-P3 screen calibration will not make it to the OP3/3T due to hardware differences (though we should note that the OP3T uses the same panel as the 5, and there is at least an incomplete screen profile labelled DCI-P3). This Q/A ends off by asking Oliver how long the OP3/3T will receive software support. We’re told that Android O will be the last major version update the OnePlus 3/3T will receive, and that security updates will continue “for the foreseeable future” as well as support for individual application updates.