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OnePlus announces its first ColorOS beta, kicking off the transition from OxygenOS

The OnePlus 15 and 15R are the first phones testing the software, though the beta is currently limited to India.

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Camera island on OnePlus 15.
OnePlus 15 Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

When OnePlus announced its exit from North America and Europe last month, it also confirmed that all devices eligible for the next platform upgrade would switch from OxygenOS to ColorOS, marking an end to the Android skin that helped define the OnePlus brand for more than a decade. Although it did not share a definite timeline for this switch, OnePlus has now set things in motion by launching a closed ColorOS beta program for the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R.

The beta skips the US and Europe for now

According to Android Authority, the closed beta is currently limited to Indian variants of both phones, so anyone in the US or Europe won’t be able to join this round. OnePlus has also capped the program at 300 testers per device, and applying takes more than just owning the right phone.

OnePlus requires you to have an active OnePlus Community account, sign a non-disclosure agreement, and be willing to participate in a Telegram group and interact with OnePlus’ software team. The application window is short too, open only on August 6 and August 7.

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OnePlus hasn’t confirmed the Android version underneath, but Android 17 is the likely candidate, since reports say the company has been testing it internally on the OnePlus 15 since March.

This isn’t the first India-only beta from OnePlus

Last year’s OxygenOS 16 beta followed the same pattern, staying limited to Indian devices for its entire run before the stable release eventually reached other markets. So the chances of users in the US and Europe getting a beta release are slim.

OnePlus has been consistent about why it’s making this change. The company has previously said that the switch to ColorOS will help it combine engineering resources with parent company Oppo and speed up future updates. If speedy updates are indeed the real reason, you may not have to wait long to get stable ColorOS on your OnePlus 15 or 15R in the US or Europe.

Pranob Mehrotra
Pranob is a seasoned tech journalist with over eight years of experience covering consumer technology. His work has been…
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