OnePlus phone owners will be changing when it comes time for their next operating system update. As the company exits the North American and European markets, it is also deprecating its long-standing OxygenOS user interface that runs on Android. This means that those with eligible devices will upgrade from OxygenOS 16 to ColorOS 17, just like phones from OnePlus parent company Oppo. The Chinese company will showcase the update while announcing a rollout schedule at a domestic developer event on September 17. It’s unclear to us whether this timeline will include availability details for global models rather than just Chinese models.
Both software skins have been running from a merged codebase since 2022, so they are not fundamentally different from each other at the moment. Testers have been running a beta version of ColorOS 17 since August, and from what we’ve seen, most of the core aesthetics of ColorOS and OxygenOS will apparently remain in place for the update. That said, the teasers introduce a few new dynamics that users will have to adapt to when they install their over-the-air update.
Changes you’ll see (and won’t see) on your OnePlus phone with ColorOS 17
At first glance, you might not notice the change from OxygenOS 16 to ColorOS 17, especially if you swear by a third-party Android launcher. But you’ll definitely feel Oppo’s design decisions when you access a standard app or UI like Photos, the notification shade, or system settings. Buttons, text fields, and sliders are placed on so-called “Liquid Acrylic” elements that feature rounded corners, bubble-like physics, and varying levels of opacity and translucency. In-app navigation bars that were previously anchored to the bottom of the screen now float above the edge, moving and distorting when manipulated. These and other yet-to-be-announced changes will affect several OnePlus devices eligible for ColorOS 17. North American and European owners will likely keep their eyes peeled for any special customizations they may or may not get.
We should also note that US OnePlus customers won’t benefit from some rather annoying advertising features in Lock Screen Magazine, Game Center and App Market. Oppo pulled its hosting service, HeyTap, from the country in 2025, amid scrutiny from a congressional subcommittee on China over how it collects and processes U.S. user data.
