ColorOS 17 Is Bringing A Huge Glow-Up For OnePlus Phones

OnePlus phone owners are in for a change when the time comes for their next OS-level update. With the company exiting the North American and European markets, it is also deprecating its long-running OxygenOS UI that runs on top of Android. That means those with eligible devices will be making the jump from OxygenOS 16 to ColorOS 17, just like phones from OnePlus parent company Oppo. The Chinese firm will be showcasing the update alongside announcing a rollout schedule during a domestic developers' event on September 17. It's not clear to us whether that schedule will include availability details for global models rather than only for Chinese models.

The two software skins have been running off of a merged codebase since 2022, so they aren't fundamentally too different from each other at the moment. Testers have been running a beta of ColorOS 17 since August and, from what we've seen, most of the basic ColorOS and OxygenOS aesthetic will seemingly remain in place for the update. That said, teaser materials are showing off a few new dynamics that users will have to adjust to when they get their over-the-air update installed.

At first glance, you might not notice making the jump from OxygenOS 16 to ColorOS 17, especially if you've got a third-party Android launcher you swear by. But you'll definitely feel Oppo's design decisions when you hop into a stock app or UI such as Photos, the notification shade, or system settings. Buttons, text fields, and sliders are laid atop so-called "Liquid Acrylic" elements that have sweeping rounded corners, bubble-like physics, and varying levels of opacity and translucence. In-app navigation bars that were formerly anchored to the bottom of the screen now float above the edge, shifting and warping when manipulated. These changes and others that have yet to be announced will come for several OnePlus devices eligible for ColorOS 17. North American and European owners will likely be keeping their eyes peeled for any special tailoring they may or may not get. 

We should also note that U.S. OnePlus customers won't be receiving a couple of rather annoying ad-driven features in the Lock Screen Magazine, Game Center, and App Market. Oppo pulled its hosting service, HeyTap, from the country back in 2025 under scrutiny from a congressional subcommittee on China over how it collects and handles American users' data.