The new update is meant for Chinese variants of the phones

Feb 19, 2017 23:48 GMT  ·  By

OnePlus 3 and 3T, the Chinese company's latest high-end smartphones, have already been updated to Android 7.0 Nougat on the last day of 2016. However, the Chinese variants of these handsets have been left behind software-wise.

OnePlus puts two different customized ROMs on its smartphones based on OxygenOS and HydrogenOS. The former is meant for the global version of its handsets, while the latter is installed on the Chinese variants of the OnePlus smartphones.

There are many differences between these two OS versions, the most important one being the fact that HydrogenOS doesn't come with the Google package of apps and services pre-installed since they are not allowed in China.

After delivering OxygenOS 4.0, which is based on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, to the OnePlus 3 and 3T, the Chinese company has started to seed a similar update to users of these smartphones in China.

The new HydrogenOS 3.0 update is now rolling out to OnePlus 3 and 3T in China, and, more importantly, it's based on Android 7.0 Nougat, just like OxygenOS 4.0.

Even though HydrogenOS is meant for the Chinese variants of OnePlus smartphones, it doesn't mean that it can't be installed on the global versions. However, you'll need a few tools and some knowledge before flashing the new OS on the OnePlus 3 or 3T.

OnePlus 3
OnePlus 3

Also, if you absolutely need Google apps on your OnePlus 3 and 3T with HydrogenOS 3.0, then you will have to download and install them separately since they are not included in the update.

Chinese OnePlus 3 and 3T users can now download HydrogenOS 3.0 on their smartphones, but keep in mind that you will need at least 1.2GB of free storage before trying to capture the update.

Among the most important improvements included in the update, we can mention better battery life, call recording, many bug fixes, as well as UI enhancements and tweaks.

Keep in mind that the update is distributed in waves, so it might not be available to everyone at the same time. Still, the rollout should be completed by the end of the month.

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