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OxygenOS made OnePlus phones special. Now, it might go away forever

The Android skin that defined what a clean, fast phone could be is officially ending. ColorOS is what comes next.

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Person holding OnePlus 15.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

If you bought a OnePlus because of OxygenOS, for the relatively clean, fast, and actually-useful Android experience, your phone may be the last one to get it. 

According to a report from the Indian outlet Smartprix, OxygenOS and Realme UI are both reportedly being phased out. If accurate, everything would move to ColorOS, the skin atop Android on Oppo smartphones, globally, across all three brands.

So what exactly is happening here?

Oppo, its official subsidiary OnePlus, and Realme are all brands that operate under the same Chinese conglomerate: BBK Electronics. Until recently, they’ve operated as independent brands with different software skins. That arrangement seems to be coming to an end.

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Maintaining three Android skins requires a substantial investment, and Oppo might want to cut down on it. The consolidation started quietly in 2021, when OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau announced a software merger between OnePlus and Oppo.

OnePlus retired HydrogenOS in China years ago, in favor of ColorOS. Only the brand’s global devices ship with OxygenOS. Realme UI was built on ColorOS under the hood anyway. 

“OxygenOS and Realme UI are being discontinued on future devices in favor of ColorOS globally,” the outlet mentions. However, it doesn’t mention any existing OnePlus devices and whether they’ll be transitioned to ColorOS as well.

Has the consolidation already begun?

Earlier this year, the brand reportedly exited the US and European markets, with carrier partnerships in North America already unwinding. The brand’s retail presence has also shrunk significantly, with only the OnePlus 15 and the OnePlus 15R being sold through the official website. 

Oppo, which has been absorbing OnePlus operationally, has reportedly already begun canceling OnePlus’s 2026 global product lineup. Sharing software and hardware platforms made the two brands structurally inseparable. 

What’s happening now could be among the final steps. OxygenOS was genuinely beloved among enthusiasts, especially among the brand’s customers. The discontinuation of OxygenOS would mark the retirement of one of the founding pillars on which OnePlus was built, if and when the brand officially announces it.

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