OnePlus announced a few weeks ago that the beta build of Android 7.0 Nougat will hit OnePlus 3 devices by the end of November, with the software's official release due in December.
True to its word, the company has now made the aforementioned build available for OnePlus 3 owners in the form of OxygenOS Open Beta 8, OnePlus' custom Android operating system.
What's In The Nougat Beta For OnePlus 3?
Apart from standard Nougat features such as split screen multitasking for apps, newly designed notifications and Settings menus and a direct reply feature, among others, OnePlus also loaded the Nougat build with changes specific to OxygenOS. There are new status bar icon options, for example, alongside a quick launch feature for third-party apps and added customization options for the smartphone's "Shelf" feature.
How To Download The Nougat Beta For OnePlus 3
The build will not be available as an over-the-air update to current open beta users, but they can go ahead and download the software update using the link OnePlus officially provided through the OnePlus forums.
As with software builds, there are still a number of bugs and issues OnePlus needs to squash, so users should be wary about downloading the new build. Some known issues include Samsung Pay not being able to work properly at times and general stability and performance snags.
More importantly, users cannot take a step backward upon upgrading to Nougat — or at least not directly. Users who will resort to downgrading to Marshmallow after installing the Nougat build must contact OnePlus' customer support, though such a method will format the user's data.
The good news is that, if users hold a little bit longer, they can download the official Nougat update for both OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices later this December. If the current build's state isn't appealing given their associated bugs and issues, the best thing to do is just bide for a bit until then.
For those who do decide to load their OnePlus 3 with the newest Nougat build, OnePlus is soliciting feedback should users chance upon any bugs or notable issues within the software. Users may file these reports through OnePlus' Bug Report platform.
What About The OnePlus 3T?
The OnePlus 3T is set to receive the update a little later than its predecessor. According to Carl Pei, cofounder of OnePlus, the Nougat beta program for the OnePlus 3T will begin after the company releases the stable build of Nougat. There's no telling how soon that will occur, though if OnePlus abides by its release schedule faithfully, then it shouldn't be too far off.
Have you downloaded the Android Nougat build for the OnePlus 3? What are your thoughts about the software so far? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
