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Don’t upgrade your OnePlus 9 to the latest OxygenOS just yet

Published: Dec 13, 2021, 5:57 AM

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Don’t upgrade your OnePlus 9 to the latest OxygenOS just yet

Normally, people should install the latest version of the mobile operating system they’re using, immediately when it becomes available. This doesn’t seem to be the case with OnePlus’ OxygenOS. The company recently released the latest version of its Android-based operating system - the OxygenOS 12 - to the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro flagship smartphones.

Even though there are a plethora of new features being released with this update, users are reporting a wide range of problems after upgrading to OxygenOS 12, according to XDA Developers. These include poor animations inside the UI, problems with making and receiving calls, and also an interesting limitation for people using Google Camera ports.

"Its one of the worst stable updates oneplus has ever rolled, so many bugs, the biggest among them is if you dont have the phone app on the home screen before the update, you physically cannot find the app anywhere in the phone (Not even in the app manager) You have to always open it from the Play store. The Icon field in personalization crashes, you cannot open google feed most of the time, all the permissions are reset, and the recents menu is among the worst you can see in a phone. Its glitchy, its not worth it," wrote Amankirti Walde on XDA forums.

Another user complained that "recent task manager cant close all apps, as the last app still remains on the screen after pressing close all button in task manager. Whatsapp parallel isnt able to log on web. No call recording app. Miss the old phone and contacts app."

It's official, I absolutely hate this new ColorOS update by @oneplus. It's half-assed, animations looking shitty, some apps with different DPI scaling, and reeks of chinese skin type of Android. I hate it and I can't wait to ditch this for the Pixel 6.
— Francisco (@franciscof_1990) December 7, 2021

Although OnePlus has halted the rollout to address all the bugs and issues, it’s not advisable for users to update to OxygenOS 12, especially if they use Google Camera port applications.

What is a Google Camera port app?

We all know how good the post-processing algorithms that Google uses for its camera app are. The trouble is that these are strictly limited to Google-only devices, Pixel phones to be exact. That’s why people are building Google Camera ports, basically bringing the native Pixel camera app to other Android phones.

These can’t be found on the Play Store, and installing them requires a little bit of digital street-smartness, but with the proper Google Camera port, any Android phone could potentially use Google’s HDR+ optimization, Portrait Mode, and other cool little features.

What’s the problem with OxygenOS 12 and Google Camera ports?

According to a recent post on the Google Camera Port Updates Telegram channel, there’s a legacy issue with the OxygenOS 12 update that effectively blocks Google Camera’s access to wide-angle and telephoto cameras (the auxiliary cameras), leaving the Google Camera port apps working only with the main camera.

This comes from OxygenOS 12’s DNA that’s now shared with ColorOS, and the latter has had this limitation for quite some time. Now this limitation has been more or less copied on the OxygenOS 12, so if you’re using Google Camera ports, you’d better wait a bit before updating to the latest version of OxygenOS.

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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.