OnePlus 3, 3T Get Face Unlock With New OxygenOS Open Beta Versions; OnePlus 5, 5T Also Receive New Beta Builds

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T have finally received the much-anticipated Face Unlock feature that had been teased since late December. The advanced feature comes with the latest OxygenOS Open Beta builds that also add support for Airtel VoLTE in India. Alongside the new releases for the 2016 models, OnePlus has released new Open Beta versions for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. All the new OxygenOS Open Beta versions include Launcher version 2.3.

OnePlus has developed OxygenOS Open Beta 30 for the OnePlus 3 and OxygenOS Open Beta 21 for the OnePlus 3T. Both the new versions include the Face Unlock feature that was initially designed for the OnePlus 5T and later released for OnePlus 5 via a recent Open Beta build. As its name suggests, the Face Unlock feature allows users to unlock the smartphone by using their faces. This comes as an addition to the original fingerprint unlocking method that uses a built-in sensor to match fingerprint patterns of users. Notably, OnePlus' Face Unlock feature is designed to offer an experience similar to Apple's Face ID that has so far been offered on the iPhone X. However, the latter utilises the proprietary TrueDepth camera hardware, while the former is just a software tweak and recognises faces using the front-facing camera sensor of the supported devices.

In addition to the Face Unlock feature, OxygenOS Open Beta 30 and Open Beta 21 bring Airtel VoLTE support to OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. Airtel's 4G VoLTE services are so far limited in India but are designed to offer high-quality voice call experience. Further, the new OxygenOS Open Beta versions come preloaded with OnePlus Switch app to enable backup and restore. The latest Open Beta builds also include various bug fixes and optimisations.

For the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, OnePlus has released OxygenOS Open Beta 4 and Open Beta 2, respectively. Both the new Open Beta versions have optimisations for logic managing high-power consumption applications as well as a more intelligent background application management solution. The new builds also include improved power consumption measurements and various bug fixes and optimisations. Additionally, there are new preloaded apps, including OnePlus Switch, File Manager, and Dialer. The fresh Open Beta builds also have a new clipboard feature that lets users edit the text copied and then choose to search, translate, or share.

The new OxygenOS Open Beta versions for the OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T, OnePlus 5, and OnePlus 5T come with Launcher version 2.3. The updated Launcher has new drawer categories that emerge when the search icon is tapped. Also, the Launcher includes auto-folder tagging, notification dot optimisations, and improved launcher usage tips. There is additionally a dynamic Clock app icon that changes the hour, minute, and second hands in a real time, similar to what has available on Apple's iOS and Xiaomi's MIUI.

Despite some of the new features and advancements, the new OxygenOS Open Beta versions are still meant for testing purposes as they include some known issues as well as various hidden bugs. As per OnePlus' official records, the newest Open Beta builds have some conflicts with third-party camera apps. The company also explicitly warns users that the new builds are not as stable as the official OTAs generally are. Therefore, you should proceed only if you are ready to accept the potential risks just for sake of testing the new features.

You can install the OxygenOS Open Beta versions on your OnePlus devices by flashing the respective builds into the smartphone. It is recommended to back up your data as all the stored data will be lost during the flashing process. OnePlus has provided its flashing guides to help you easily install the new version. Moreover, the new ROM versions are also available for download from the OnePlus site.