OnePlus 8 series gains new Game Space tricks with latest open beta update

Update: December 23, 2020 (3:40 AM ET): The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are now receiving their fifth open beta update. Unlike the previous stable version of Oxygen OS, open beta 5 packs in a slew of new features including Rewind Recording for Game Space and selfie camera animation tweaks. Also addressed in this update are several system issues and a Bluetooth call bug. Finally, the Android security update for December is also lumped in.

You can view the complete changelog of the new update below.

System
- Optimized the startup speed of some apps for a faster launch experience
- Fixed the small probability issue that receiving messages may delay
- Fixed the issue that the volume adjustment has a small probability of failure
- Fixed the small probability issue that the speaker doesn’t work
- Updated Android security patch to 2020.12
Camera
- Refresh the animation effects when activating the front camera
Game Space
- Newly added Rewind Recording where you can record the exciting moments in the game of past 30 seconds with just one tap (Swipe down from the upper left or right corner to quickly open in the Gaming Tools)
Bluetooth
- Fixed the issue that the call may freeze when receiving the phone when playing music via Bluetooth

What else would you like to see from OnePlus 8 series updates in the future? Let us know in the comments!

Welcome to the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro update hub. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about the latest Android updates for the two devices, including their current versions and when future updates are likely to arrive.

Both the 8 and 8 Pro run OxygenOS, OnePlus’ proprietary Android skin. OxygenOS is known for fast updates that come for a very long time, so be sure to bookmark this page and visit often.

OnePlus 8 Pro Killer flagship

OnePlus is all grown up. With the OnePlus 8 Pro, you get an unabashed flagship, with all the bells and whistles. Powerful specs, an amazing display, fast wireless charging, and water resistance make the OnePlus 8 Pro a great alternative to the Galaxy S20 Plus, and it's up to $300 cheaper.

OnePlus 8 Snapdragon 865 on the cheap

The OnePlus 8 sticks to the formula that has made OnePlus so successful. It gets you the latest processing package, a versatile camera, and a beautiful display, running the smooth Oxygen OS. You miss out on wireless charging and the official IP rating, but for what it offers the OnePlus 8 is an attractive deal.

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro updates

Current stable version: Android 11
When will the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro get Android 12? October 2021 (estimated)

The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro launched on April 14, 2020. Both launched with the latest version of Android out-of-the-box: Android 10. We expect both devices to receive at least two major Android updates in the future — Android 11 in 2020 and Android 12 in 2021.

Days after the phones launched, OnePlus rolled out the Oxygen OS 10.5.4 update for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. It was a minor update, but brought Google’s Live Caption feature to the phones. It also enhanced support for the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earbuds, optimized the cameras and fingerprint sensor, improved system stability, and more.

However, a bunch of users started reporting the appearance of a green tint on the displays of their phones. Some also reported a black crush issue which made dark areas of the screen lose detail.

OnePlus then rolled out Oxygen OS 10.5.5 for both the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. The update sort of fixed the green tint problem for some, but the black crush issue remained.

The changelog was also tight-lipped about the display problems. The only indication on it related to the display was a pointer noting “optimized the display effects,” which doesn’t clearly mean the green tint or black crush issue.

In early May, OnePlus rolled out Oxygen OS 10.5.6.IN11AA for the OnePlus 8 Pro and 10.5.5.IN21AA for the OnePlus 8. The changelog didn’t clearly verify a fix for the display problems on the OnePlus 8 Pro, but mentioned general system, camera, and network improvements.

However, some users who received this update weren’t too happy with it. A user on Reddit said that the update fixed the green tint issue on the OnePlus 8 Pro when DC Dimming was switched on, but it reappears when DC Dimming was switched off. Another user on OnePlus forums reports that the camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro became worse after the update and resulted in images showing random flares.

On May 29, OnePlus reportedly started rolling out an update to disable the color filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro, not just in China, but globally. The move came after it was recently discovered that the gimmicky color filter camera on the back of the OnePlus 8 Pro can be used as a sort of X-ray camera. The update was attached to Oxygen OS 10.5.9.

The aforementioned update was short-lived though, as the firm then pulled it and confirmed to Android Police that it was an accidental roll-out.

On June 4, OnePlus rolled out a heavy update for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. It added HEVC encoding to the phones allowing users to record videos at the same quality as the legacy H.264 codec while consuming far less storage. It also added a bunch of system optimizations, the May security patch, and more.

It also reinstated the “X-ray vision” capabilities of the color filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro. OnePlus had accidentally removed the controversial feature with an update in May. So if you happened to install the OnePlus 8 Pro update that disabled the feature, you can simply apply this OTA to get it back.

The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro received the August 2020 security patch, optimizations for the 16MP selfie camera, some bug fixes, and system stability improvements in the August update.

Early adopters were given the option to install Open Beta 1 of Oxygen OS based on Android 11 in September, closely followed by the release of Open Beta 2. The beta versions brought a number of UI tweaks to the system as well as improvements to the ambient display, Game Space, Zen Mode, and Dark Mode.

In mid-October, a new stable version of Oxygen OS 11 rolled out improving the phones’ Ambient Display, Dark Mode, Zen Mode, and Gallery app. Tweaks to Game Space and general system fixes also arrived.

On November 20, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro started received Oxygen OS open beta 4. The update mostly consisted of bug fixes and optimizations. The November Android security patch also came along for the ride, but there were no new features to speak of.

A week later, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro received Oxygen OS 11.0.2.2 in India, EU, and North America. It included a number of bug fixes and optimizations but doesn’t really add any new features to the phones. It did tag in the November Android security patch which was previously being rolled out with the Oxygen OS open beta 4 update.