How to install OxygenOS 12 on your OnePlus 9 (and why you maybe shouldn't)

For those who need it, here's some help

After suffering through an embarrassing recall, OxygenOS 12 (based on Android 12) is finally back for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. But is the right call to install it on your device? We're going to tell you how you can get the new update and why you might not want to.

If you've updated your OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro during the first OxygenOS 12 pulse, known as version C.36, the current update marked C.39 should fix an assortment of mission-critical problems like connection issues with the mobile network and the phone freezing up. You should take the update at the earliest chance.

As of press time, full OTA update files are available to download at the bottom of this XDA-Developers article and ready to be sideloaded. The easiest way to install it is to use your OnePlus 9 device to download the update file that fits your model and region — Europe, India, or the rest of the world.

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Afterwards, go to your system settings, select System, then System Updates. Hit the cog icon on the top-right corner and tap on Local upgrade. You'll then be prompted to find and select the update file, packaged as a .zip. The device will then install the update. After that's done, you can reboot your device for the update to take hold.

What if you didn't install the C.36 update? Well, the newer C.39 update will still break or limit certain abilities that C.36 broke including Chrome auto-fill and the Google Camera app, so if you enjoy those abilities, hold out for a later update instead. C.39 is basically a hotfix for the top of the triage pyramid.

If you'd still rather dig in, you can follow the sideloading instructions above or, if you're lazy, wait for an over-the-air update which is being distributed through the user base progressively over the next couple of weeks. You can pester the OnePlus servers by heading to Settings > System > System Updates, then backing out and going back into the screen many times.

If you get the update and decide to pass it up, make sure the version number has C.39 at the very end before doing so.

About The Author

Jules Wang (1253 Articles Published)

Jules joined the Android Police team in 2019. Before that, he was at Pocketnow. He loves public transportation, podcasts, and people in general. He also likes to take views from the bigger picture in technology from how people are attracted to it to how it's utilized across every other industry.

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