OnePlus has officially unveiled OxygenOS 16, its latest Android skin based on Android 16, bringing a refreshed design, deeper customization, and powerful AI-driven tools. The update will begin rolling out in November 2025, starting with the newly launched OnePlus 13, followed by other eligible models in a phased rollout.
🔹 Fresh Design and Themes
OxygenOS 16 introduces two new design themes — “Breathe With You” and “Thrive With Free Expression.”
- Breathe With You emphasizes a calm, visual-driven experience (“see and tell”).
- Thrive With Free Expression focuses on personalization and user creativity (“user speak”).
These design updates extend across the home screen, app drawer, lock screen, and Quick Settings panel, complemented by a new iOS 26-style translucent blur effect for a more fluid look.
🔹 Improved Customization
Users can now fine-tune nearly every visual element:
- Quick Settings: Fully customizable tiles with expanded options.
- Home Screen: Supports a 5×7 grid layout, resizable widgets, and larger app folders.
- App Drawer: Features a new Categories tab that automatically organizes apps.
- System Icons: Now support complete theme customization.
🔹 Lock Screen Upgrades
With Flux Themes 2.0, users can now:
- Adjust the clock’s size and position.
- Use live photos or videos as wallpapers.
- Add mini widgets for at-a-glance info.
🔹 AI and Productivity Tools
OxygenOS 16 places a strong focus on AI integration and privacy through features like:
- Private Computing Cloud: Protects sensitive data by processing information securely.
- AI Writer: Enhances writing with tools for text improvement, content generation, and mind mapping.
- Recorder App: Offers real-time transcription, summaries, noise reduction, and link sharing.
- AI Search: Enables natural language queries across the device.
- Camera App: Can now convert scanned documents and slides into PDFs.
All AI tools are conveniently grouped under the OnePlus AI section for quick access.
🔹 Google Gemini Integration
The Mind Space app, OnePlus’s native note-taking and content hub, now integrates Google Gemini AI, allowing users to ask questions about stored data and interact with their saved content intelligently. This feature will roll out in upcoming stable updates.
🔹 Visual Enhancements
OxygenOS 16 adds a Gaussian blur effect to the home screen, app drawer, recents menu, and Photos app — delivering a smooth “Liquid Glass” aesthetic reminiscent of iOS 26.
Rollout Timeline:
- Phase 1 (November 2025): OnePlus 13 and select flagship models
- Phase 2: Gradual rollout to other eligible devices over the following months
OnePlus notes that the staged rollout may cause variations in update availability by region and device.
In summary: OxygenOS 16 is a major leap toward intelligent, customizable, and visually elegant Android experiences — merging OnePlus’s signature speed with next-gen AI tools and refined design aesthetics.
