News in Short

• OnePlus has started testing ColorOS 17 on the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R in India.
• The closed beta gives selected users an early look at the company’s planned transition from OxygenOS.
• The beta is limited to Indian variants, with 300 slots available for each model.

OnePlus has begun testing ColorOS 17 on its latest OnePlus 15 series smartphones in India. The closed beta marks an important step in the company’s planned move away from OxygenOS.

The programme is currently limited to a small group of users. Still, it provides an early look at how OnePlus’ software experience could change in the future.

OnePlus has previously confirmed that eligible devices will transition from OxygenOS to ColorOS. The company has linked the move to combining engineering resources with Oppo and speeding up future software updates.

OnePlus 15 and 15R users get early access

OnePlus opened applications for the ColorOS 17 closed beta in India on August 6. The application window closed on August 7.

The programme covers the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R. According to the available details, the OnePlus 15 beta is limited to 300 users. The OnePlus 15R is also reported to have 300 slots.

However, users must meet several conditions to participate. They need to own an Indian variant of the smartphone and have a registered OnePlus Community account.

Participants must also sign a confidentiality agreement. Additionally, they need to join a Telegram group for communication with the OnePlus software team.

For the OnePlus 15, users must first install software build CPH2745_16.0.9.400(EX01). They can then apply through the Beta programme section in the device settings.

The limited rollout suggests that OnePlus wants to gather feedback before making the software available more widely.

Why the ColorOS move matters

The arrival of ColorOS 17 is more than another software beta. It marks a significant change in OnePlus’ software strategy.

OxygenOS has long been a key part of the OnePlus experience. Now, however, the company is preparing to move eligible devices to ColorOS.

OnePlus says the transition will allow it to combine engineering resources with Oppo. In turn, this could help accelerate software development and future updates.

For users, the change could bring differences to the interface and overall software experience. However, OnePlus has not yet explained how specific OxygenOS features will change.

The company has also not detailed how the transition could affect device management or long-term update policies.

Therefore, the current beta could provide important clues about what the eventual software experience will look like.

OnePlus warns users about beta risks

OnePlus has cautioned that ColorOS 17 is still a beta build. As a result, users could encounter crashes, unresponsive applications and compatibility issues.

The company has advised participants to maintain regular backups before installing the software.

Furthermore, Experience Improvement Programs and Auto Update Overnight are enabled automatically after the upgrade.

This makes the beta more suitable for enthusiasts who are comfortable testing unfinished software. For users who depend on their OnePlus phone for everyday work, waiting for the stable version may be a safer choice.

The transition could also be relevant for businesses. IT teams managing OnePlus smartphones may need to understand how the change affects device management and software policies once ColorOS reaches more devices.

ColorOS 17 stable rollout is still unclear

OnePlus has not confirmed a broader stable-release timeline in the information currently available.

For now, the closed beta gives the company an opportunity to identify problems and collect user feedback. The next key details will be which OnePlus devices move to ColorOS and how existing OxygenOS installations will transition.

For OnePlus users, the beta makes one thing clear: the company’s planned move away from OxygenOS is now entering its testing phase in India.