After the successful release of OnePlus 3, the flagship smartphone OnePlus 3T soon followed housing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. With newly built phones, the Chinese company also released the beta version of Android 7.0 Nougat, in the form of Oxygen OS Open Beta 8.
For users who do not mind running a totally unpolished software on their OnePlus 3 unit, then installing the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build is no big of a deal.
OnePlus 3 Gets #Android7.0 Nougat Via OxygenOS Open Beta 8.@oneplus @AndroidNougat pic.twitter.com/PhWvWij94P
— TopApps4u (@topapp4u) December 2, 2016
What is the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build?
According to Android Central, the Android 7.0 Nougat beta build includes features from the OxygenOS 3.5 on the OnePlus 3T, thus being labeled as Oxygen OS Open Beta 8. This allows the OnePlus 3 units to have the latest, stable, version of the Android. Note that the Android 7.0 Nougat beta build is exclusively original for OnePlus 3 units only.
Further, the Android 7.0 Nougat beta build is only available for the OnePlus 3 units. However, when Android 7.0 Nougat officially drops in December, OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T will begin sharing an update cycle, per Android Authority.
What are the changes in the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build?
Among the noteworthy changes in the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build are completely new notification design with notification direct reply, new double-tap shortcut for switching between the last two apps, a multi-window view, custom DPI support, added status bar icon options, added quick launch for third-party applications, improved shelf customisation, and new Settings menu in line with Android 7.0 Nougat.
How to get the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build for OnePlus 3 units?
Unfortunately, as of this writing, the company has removed the download link to the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build version. In a forum thread on their website, the Chinese company stated that they have gathered enough feedback from users so much as the decision to remove and update the beta version came immediately after.
Also, according to the company, the Android 7.0 Nougat Beta build will not over the air (OTA) to current open beta users, and it will not be as stable as their other OTA releases. In fact, the company has cited a number of bugs or known issues users have reported.
These include, but are not limited to, the following: Android Pay may not work correctly; some stability/performance issues; incompatibility with TWRP (use stock recovery instead); and unable to directly downgrade back to M builds after updating to Android 7.0 Nougat Beta.
Meanwhile, the latest version Android 7.0 Nougat will not be making its way to the latest flagship phone OnePlus 3T until the build is stable.
