Android Nougat is now available to all OnePlus 3 users – but only in beta

Most phones are still waiting for Android Nougat, but as of now the OnePlus 3 has it, at least if you’re willing to put up with a beta version of the software.

OnePlus has made a download of the open beta available through its forums, so if you’re feeling brave you can head over there and grab it.

Doing so will give you access to quite a few software changes and improvements, including a new notifications design, a new settings menu design, a multi-window view, the ability to directly reply to notifications, custom DPI support, quick launch for third party applications, status bar icon options and improvements to Shelf customization.

Two steps forward, one step back

It sounds like a significant update, but before you grab the download bear in mind that some things aren’t working so well. Most notably Android Pay may not work, and there are some general stability and performance issues.

So unless you really can’t wait to get a taste of Nougat you’re probably better off leaving it, until the final, stable release is sent to your phone as an over the air update. And if you do grab the beta, make sure to back up any important data first.

If you’re rocking the brand new OnePlus 3T, you’ll have to wait a little longer, with OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei tweeting that the beta won’t even start for that until they’ve got a stable version of Nougat. Though we’d previously heard that it would get Nougat before the end of the year, which doesn’t give OnePlus long.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.