Final updates can be bittersweet. They mark the end of the latest features on your device, which it needs to patch vulnerabilities and improve performance. The OnePlus 8 smartphone series has reached that stage of its lifecycle.
OxygenOS 13.1.0.587 will bump the OnePlus 8 and One Plus 8 Pro phones up by a new version, and mark the end of software support from OnePlus. The upgrade completes the length the company initially promised the phones would have. Here's more information on this development.
Say Goodbye to OnePlus 8 updates
The OnePlus 8 series first launched in its home market on April 17, 2020. Countries like the USA received it days later around April 29. The phones include the base OnePlus 8 model and the OnePlus 8 Pro. The company scheduled both of them to have three major operating system updates and four years of security updates.
They came out of the box with OxygenOS 10, which was released a year before in 2019 and is based on Android 10. Then they got their final OS upgrade in 2022 with the OxygenOS 13 update. OxygenOS 13.1.0.587 will mark the last over-the-air (OTA) security patch in the four year cycle OnePlus promised.
OnePlus made the announcement on their official community forum. Already, the patch is rolling out in India, and will reach other users worldwide in the coming months.
As you might have been aware, with the release of OxygenOS 13.1.0.587, we've officially fulfilled our lifecycle maintenance promise for the OnePlus 8/8Pro.It was quite a memorable journey and we'd love to extend our sincere gratitude to all of you for the tremendous support along the way.
OnePlus
What does the OnePlus 8 update end-of-life mean for you?
Your OnePlus 8 phones will no longer receive any more major updates and security patches from OnePlus. These upgrades are necessary to fix vulnerabilities that hackers consistently exploit and steal your data or harm your device.
Without them, your phone becomes more open to security threats as new ones emerge. Also, you can't use any new and interesting features that come with the next updates. For example, the Go Green Always-On Display (AOD) on OxygenOS 14.
It doesn't mean you have to buy a new phone. As long as your phone still works fine, you can keep it. But you'll want to be more cautious about the apps and websites you use, as well as how much sensitive information you save on the device.
The next steps for OnePlus 8 series users
Custom ROMs are worth exploring if you know a good developer, want to keep receiving updates, and don't want to change your phone. Independent developers build them on Android's open-source code, enabling extensive customization options.
But they're unofficial, which makes them risky. You could brick your phone in the worst case scenario. If you do decide to buy a new OnePlus phone, there are many options to choose from that won't rip a hole in your pocket.
