OnePlus Oxygen OS arrives in March, but you'll have to install it yourself

OnePlus Oxygen OS arrives in March, but you'll have to install it yourself
These guys...

OnePlus has taken to Reddit for an AMA on its new smartphone interface dubbed OxygenOS, and it's been spilling the beans on various aspects of the software.

First up it revealed the OxygenOS release date as "next month", which is March for those of you struggling to keep up.

It will be available to owners of the OnePlus One, but you won't be able to grab it on an OTA (over the air) update.

OnePlus co-founder Carl said: "For the OnePlus One, it will likely not be an OTA, but rather a choice for users who want to try something new and are willing to flash it themselves."

The good news is OnePlus has committed to supporting OxygenOS for two years on the One, meaning owners still have decent life in their handsets.

For anyone hoping to get a taste of the action on any other device you're out of luck, as Carl explains "we're optimizing the stack specifically for the OPO hardware so you may have the best experience."

Why Oxygen?

One keen Redditor - who goes by the charming handle 'DoubleFist01' - asked the important question "Which main features will be in OxygenOS?"

"We named our OS 'Oxygen' because we want it to be something that works for you in the background and make sure the essential things are done well," a OnePlus staff member wrote.

"We'll optimize it for our unique hardware and have added features like the ability to modify the quick settings tile layout & quick unlock (through gestures).

"They're not necessarily groundbreaking features but, especially for our first release, we just want to focus on small optimizations that make your life easier."

And as an added kicker, OnePlus has promised no bloatware, so that's good.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.