OnePlus has announced a change to its OxygenOS Beta release schedule. The company is essentially halving the number of Open and Closed Beta releases it issues out each month. A company executive recently announced the shift in strategy in a forum post.
OnePlus has maintained its OxygenOS Beta Program since 2016. It currently releases two Open and four Closed Beta builds each month. Now, going forward, the company will only release a single Open and two Closed OxygenOS Beta builds in a month.
The company says these changes will result in improved stability of Beta releases. With fewer updates to take care of, its development team will get more time to address feedback and bugs. This would make subsequent Beta or public releases more stable and reliable.
There’s no change in the stable release schedule, though. You can still expect an OxygenOS update once every month or two.
OnePlus slows down on OxygenOS Beta
OnePlus currently has two Beta channels for its Android-based OxygenOS software – Closed and Open. The software on the Closed channel is referred to as “alpha build” and is usually highly unstable.
It is only available for around 100 users per device. In order to receive Closed Beta builds, you have to apply to be a certified Closed Beta tester.
Once the new software passes initial quality tests in Closed Beta, it enters the Open Beta phase. This channel is open to anyone who wishes to try new features ahead of the public release. Feedback from this larger group of testers is then implemented in the final version to ensure a bug-free stable release.
However, OnePlus says although many people are using the Open Beta build as their daily driver, only a small fraction of those are reporting bugs or providing feedback to the company.
Most of them are downloading the Beta software simply to enjoy new features early. OnePlus wants to provide such users with a “more stable and reliable experience.”
“Our beta program may once have been more popular among our most tech-savvy users, but it has now grown into something that includes people from all different backgrounds and with varying degrees of technological knowledge.
We’ve also noticed that many of you use beta releases as your daily driver, for work, school, or play, which is quite remarkable,” writes Manu J., Global Product Operations Manager at OnePlus.
The executive also announced that the Closed Beta for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro “is about to start”. With Android 11 possibly entering the public beta testing phase this month, the OnePlus 8 series could be among the firsts to test the new Android OS iteration.