OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro get Android 11 beta, but it may brick your phone
With the recent release of the first Android 11 beta, OnePlus is among the first phone manufacturers to publish an Android 11 version for its OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro flagships. The Verizon and T-Mobile models are excluded from this program at this time, but as you'll soon find out, there isn't much to miss here.
Technically, it's possible for OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro owners to install the Android 11-based build right now, as reported by dev community website XDA Developers, but really – only software developers who need access to Android 11 are advised to do so. If you are a developer and want to do some early work in terms of support and compatibility between your apps and the upcoming major Android release, then it makes sense to take advantage of this.
Otherwise, it's clearly stated that installing this particular Android 11 beta on the OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro right now hides a big number of big risks, including the chance of bricking your device (rendering it inoperable).
Some of the other issues you're mostly sure to encounter with this beta include, but are not limited to:
- The installation requires a complete device reset, so all data will be lost;
- Facial authentication will not work;
- Google Assistant (OK, Google) will not be able to assist you with anything;
- No video calls – particularly bad right now;
- Unfinished user interface designs;
- Reduced or incorrect functionality in certain apps;
- Stability and performance problems are to be expected.
Android 11 is largely shaping up to be a 'quality of life' kind of update, so we don't expect much in the way of fancy new features. Instead, the release will focus on streamlining and building upon important system components such as the notification system, messaging, and permission management. You can read our Android 11 R preview for our first impressions of the new system.
Android 11 R beta running on the OnePlus 8 Pro
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Things that are NOT allowed: