OnePlus has now confirmed that all OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T owners will stop receiving major Android updates after Android O rolls around, causing some upset in the community.
Before the release of the OnePlus 5, both the OnePlus 3 and 3T were two of the most highly rated smartphones available in the market thanks to their premium specs and lower-than-most price tags. But when its most recent flagship came about, there was some concern over the frequency of updates to OnePlus's older hardware.
OnePlus 3 And 3T Will Not Get Android P
Well, OnePlus has addressed such concerns now, and it's not good news. Android O, the next major version of Android after Nougat, will still hit both the OnePlus 3 and 3T. However, users can't expect anything big after that.
OnePlus confirmed the news via a Q and A session, during which it answered a lot of questions about its smartphone lineup as well.
"We'll continue to release security patch updates for the foreseeable future, and offer support for individual application updates," said OnePlus's head of product, Oliver Z.
Open Beta Program To Stop
The Open Beta Program for OnePlus 3 and 3T will also stop once Android O is released, to be used exclusively for the OnePlus 5 instead. The company usually rolls out updates to those enrolled in the Open Beta Program every month or two, allowing owners to test features before official builds are launched. It makes sense why OnePlus will halt this for OnePlus 3 and 3T owners.
Software support has become one of the biggest issues in the smartphone world. Since the release cycle between iterations gets smaller and smaller, users have become afraid of purchasing a phone that will stop receiving updates after a year or two. The OnePlus 3 is just a little over a year old, while the 3T has stayed in the market for barely a year.
Why Is OnePlus Doing This?
It's not clear why OnePlus opted for this route, but one can assume it's to convince people that they should get the OnePlus 5 from here on out instead of looking at the company's past flagship line. Still, if you look at the premium specs of both the OnePlus 3 and 3T, you'd at least surmise that these phones could probably support at least two or three more major Android updates going forward. But alas, that is not the case.
As for the Android O update, OnePlus hasn't shared official release dates yet. Google is expected to roll out public builds before September starts, so OnePlus can probably show something before this year ends.
