OnePlus 7 series phones are finally getting Android 12-based Oxygen OS 12 update

The OnePlus 7 series – comprising the OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 7 pro and OnePlus 7T Pro, is finally getting a major Oxygen OS update that brings the phones to Android 12. The popular OnePlus phones from 2019 were stuck with Oxygen OS 11 for much longer than users expected as an Android 12 update was nowhere to be seen for months after Google launched the Android 11 successor.
To give you some context, the OnePlus 7 series was one of the first phones to be updated to new Android versions when they’re launched, back in 2019. The OnePlus 7T in particular, the brand’s mid-year refresh to the OnePlus 7, came with Android 10 even before Google’s own Pixel phones had the Android version back then.
A lot has changed since 2019. OnePlus has seen a major shift in strategies, and now can be seen launching a lot more devices across segments, which probably could explain the delay in updates. Oxygen OS, the brand’s custom skin that powers the OnePlus phones has also shifted its codebase to that of Oppo’s Color OS, which changes the look and feel of the skin significantly.

As users of the OnePlus 7 series continued to wait for the new update, OnePlus finally started  testing Android 12 build betas a few weeks ago. Now, users have started receiving stable Oxygen OS 12 updates.
OnePlus 7 series Oxygen OS 12.1: What’s new
The new update is the H.28 build for the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, while the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro are getting the F.16 build. Despite being so late, the new builds still come with the August security patch (which is late two months at this point).
New features with the update include a visual overhaul of Oxygen OS 12.1, and additions like the three-level dark mode, new Cards in the OnePlus Shelf, a new Smart Battery Engine, new app icons, support for blocking spam MMS and the HyperBoost end-to-end frame-rate stabiliser, which is stuff we’ve already seen show up in other OnePlus phones already on Oxygen OS 12.
There’s also a new Work-Life Balance feature, that now comes with its own Quick Settings toggle and support for automatic switching. Other features include the new Canvas AOD (Always On Display) feature.