OnePlus One Starts Receiving Lollipop-Based Cyanogen OS 12 Update

Soon after passing certification by Google, the Android 5.0 Lollipop-based Cyanogen OS 12 (CM12S) update has started rolling out to the OnePlus One over-the-air (OTA), ahead of Micromax's Yu Yureka. Cyanogen's blog post however addressed the Yu Yureka users, promising the update would arrive "very soon."

The announcement came on Monday via Cyanogen's Google+ account and a blog post. "Our Lollipop ('L') update begins to roll out to all OnePlus One device owners today. Enjoy sweet additions and improvements in our latest software release, above and beyond the goodness in Android Lollipop," said the blog post.

(Also See: Micromax's Yu Yureka Set to Receive Lollipop-Based CM12S Update Soon)

Cyanogen 12 OS will be rolling out as an OTA update, but impatient users can instead download the signed OTA update (via Android Police) in the form of a zip file, and apply it using the stock Recovery option. This needs to be enabled via Developer options > Advanced reboot. Those with rooted OnePlus One smartphones or with custom recovery enabled will also be able to install the CM12S update via the zip file. Taking a backup of your data is recommended before starting the process.

Cyanogen OS 12, as expected, features Google's Material Design visuals, animations and the overall user interface. One of the highlights of the new OS is a new feature called App Themer, which gives extensive control on how the handset user interface looks. The feature notably helps users customise the themes of individual apps.

OnePlus One users on Cyanogen OS 12, would now see the App Themer icon at the bottom of the Theme Chooser, tapping on which will bring up the floating paintbrush button. User then navigate to the app they want to theme, tap the floating paintbrush button and select a theme to apply. More theme choices will be available both under fee and paid section. "We've now made it even easier for you to turn your operating system into your own personal canvas."

Cyanogen as promised has also introduced a new email app, powered by Boxer. The premium version of Boxer will be reaching out to all the Cyanogen users worldwide free of cost. The new email app now fills-in most of the features that were earlier missing from the built-in email app. Some of the functions included are exchange support, multiple account integration, canned responses for quick replies, and different LED settings for different email notifications. Swiping left or right on the message also leads to certain actions.

Last month, Pei responded to a user query on Twitter to confirm that OnePlus users in India will receive the much-awaited CM12S update over-the-air. Beyond the Lollipop-based CM12S update however, things still remain dicey for Indian users of the OnePlus One smartphone, with the availability of Cyanogen OS updates in India the biggest bone of contention between Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures and OnePlus. Micromax's Yu brand has in the past claimed "exclusive OTA firmware updates and support in India" - but is yet to make good on it, much to the delight of OnePlus One users in India.