I had to switch to my old phone while trying to fix the screen flickering issue on my Pixel 6 Pro. I dug a pile to find one that could update to Android 13 and ended up with the OnePlus 8. The gorgeous Interstellar Glow model still has a volume switch like a proper OnePlus phone.
After a day and about 16 GB of downloads, I now understand why many people don’t bother to update their old phones.
Originally, all Android phones were updated in the same way. He had to run one update at a time, and it took forever and a half from downloading the file to completing the process.
Google added a way to use a second partition to speed up the update process, requiring only the ones that have actually changed to be installed, and allowing multiple smaller updates to be bundled into a single file. We have fixed the problem for years by introducing delta updates.
I didn’t think about this when I charged and turned on the OnePlus 8. Frankly, I was wondering how to remove the Pixel 6 Pro’s display without breaking it so I could push the damn cable all the way into the socket. A broken screen means about $200 out of my wallet.
I knew an update or two were waiting for me. Still, I had to wait for four security patch updates, an Android 12 update, a second Android 12 update, an Android 13 update, and a final security patch update. That’s about 16 GB of data for everyone I’m tracking, and about 3 hours of my precious time.
Out of curiosity, I dug out a Pixel 4 and did the same. I got his one update moving to Android 13 with the February 2023 patch. Hopefully the Pixel 4’s battery isn’t completely garbage, and you can use it nonetheless.
One place where OnePlus fits in is with a separate update partition. This saves you having to wait for a long, ugly file flash while looking at the boot screen. However, this is the only thing the company has right when it comes to Android updates.
This is important because this is exactly how Samsung does it. OnePlus may make great phones, but while Samsung is the world’s largest phone maker, few people use them. You know someone with a Samsung phone, and chances are you do too.
Many of those people don’t care about updates. And that painful process is part of the reason. No one likes rebooting their smartphones. Like me, he remembers having to reboot eight times in one afternoon. Instead, ignore it and swipe the notification.
Just to be fair here, I’m not sure if this is something OnePlus sorted out with its newer models. will go through the same process as
But at least the software you get is better. All complaints about Android 13 Color OS on the OnePlus forums are genuine. It’s such a shame that OnePlus created a tool that allows rollbacks. Of course, I do things without a second thought, so I hadn’t read it before I started.
Anyway, I still have a phone running Android 13 if I need to test something while I’m trying to work my nerves to open up the Pixel 6 Pro. So much so that it made me reconsider the Pixel 4’s poor battery life.
