The future of OnePlus messy phone software has me worried
Summary
The bad news is its considerable similarity to Oppo’s ColorOS 12 software, and all its inherent issues has caused controversy among the OnePlus faithful. I use WhatsApp and Line to chat with friends, and unlike any other phone software I use, OxygenOS randomly fails to deliver notifications for each. This difference really highlights the lack of thought that seems to have gone into making OxygenOS 12/ColorOS 12 usable on a daily basis, and how well-designed Oxygen OS 11 was. In a subsequent OnePlus Forum post, the company writes about OxygenOS and ColorOS, saying that “the OS teams are fully integrated into one and ready to collaborate and learn from each other’s experience. Together we will build OS products hand in hand.” That doesn’t imply great change is coming, but in the same post, it then promises, “OxygenOS 13 will not change the core product philosophy that OxygenOS has always adhered to, such as fast and smooth, burden-less experience, ease of use, and reliability.” Elsewhere, OnePlus has said the future of the OS will be “an experience that longtime OnePlus users will be familiar with while ensuring it upholds hallmarks of OxygenOS.” None of these statements match the real-life experience of using the current version of the software, so it’s hard to take them as anything other than marketing talk, and OnePlus toeing the company line.