OnePlus has released the alpha build of its new Android 5.0 Lollipop-based custom ROM. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer announced recently that the update was available for grabs through its website and those who wished to try the build will have to manually download and flash the firmware as the build won’t be seeded out over the air.
Last month after software maker Cyanogen partnered with Micromax for its new YU branded smartphone and provided them with exclusive rights to sell Cyanogen-powered handsets in India, OnePlus announced that it will be releasing Color OS, a Lollipop-based custom ROM of its own by the end of this year. The stable version of the software is expected to be released by February.
Among the features users will find in this build, the company notes on a blogpost that the alpha build contains “no extras beyond the stock features of AOSP Lollipop. “It’s the base that we will continue to build upon, improve, and customize as we stabilize core functionalities on the latest firmware updates,” says the post.
But before you manually flash the firmware, be warned that the custom build is riddled with software and performance glitches. The company announced that it is working on a number of issues, including the ability to keep data always on while roaming, optimizing camera, video playback, improving the output result for recordings at 4k resolution, periodic clock crashes, unstable Wi-Fi.
While it is almost certain that this is the build Indian users will be receiving on their handsets in coming weeks, it is not known if the company has plans to release this custom-ROM outside India. Considering the amount of flack Cyanogen has received over the conflict, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer may opt to use its own ROM in all future handsets.
For all OnePlus One users who would like to download this update, the company has made available a simple step-by-step procedure on its forum to flash the firmware.
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