An OxygenOS 16 user describes a mixed experience with their OnePlus 13.

OnePlus' Software Choices

OnePlus often takes cues from Apple's software design, and it's easy to see why. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has excellent software. The hardware is also improving, with the iPhone Air as a prime example, but Apple's focus on UX and user-friendly features is notable.

Many of OxygenOS 16's new customization features seem inspired by the iPhone, but their execution falls short. The interactive depth wallpapers look great, but only with the default presets.

OxygenOS 16 allows custom photos, but they rarely work well, based on extensive testing. High-contrast photos taken with the phone work best due to depth data, but existing photos and artwork often fail.

This limitation makes the feature less useful. While the presets are fine, users want to use their own content. Hopefully, this will improve, because the pre-made wallpapers will eventually become tiresome.

Software updates often have issues, especially initially, and this is not unique to OxygenOS. There is confidence that OnePlus can fix these problems. The main issue is with custom launchers.

Custom launchers taken away

As a long-time Nova user, I value its clean design, shortcuts, and customization. A key part of Android is the user's ability to personalize the system.

Launchers used to be treated as interchangeable skins, each with a unique feel. This made it easy to refresh the phone experience without needing a new device.

Navigation options removed from users was a mistake

Nova became the default launcher because of changes to Android's app drawer. Some users may not mind the disorganization, but there was no reason to remove the previous method.

Android has historically allowed users to organize their app drawers in various ways. Pages were ideal for organizing apps into categories.

Google removed this feature, leaving only alphabetical or installation date sorting. Multiple drawer navigation methods should be a standard feature in Android, because more choices are always better.

Third-party developers like Nova brought back this functionality. Some manufacturers, like Samsung's OneUI, include this feature, and many Galaxy S24 and S25 users take advantage of pages.

OxygenOS' team should consider user feedback

Switching from the Pixel 6a to the OnePlus 13 revealed that OxygenOS lacks manual app categorization options. OxygenOS 16 partially addressed this with automatically generated folders that group apps by category.

However, the categorization is flawed. For example, the system places a banking app and a Warhammer 40k data sheet app in the same "Utility" folder.

Software updates often reset the default home launcher. After rebooting the OnePlus 13, Nova was reselected. However, pressing the home button caused the system launcher to reappear. Despite verifying the settings and rebooting again, the issue persisted. Gestures worked, but are not ideal for everyone.

After exhausting all troubleshooting steps, a solution was found online.

Android users shouldn’t have to do this

A Reddit thread provided a temporary fix:

* Go to Settings and search for "Default Apps."

* Select "Home app" and choose your preferred launcher.

* Restart the phone.

* Go to Settings and search for "Transition animations."

* Tap the setting to revert to the default launcher.

* Access App management and close the default launcher like any other app.

* The home button should now work correctly.

This workaround is unusual and should not be necessary for using third-party launchers.

This is likely not intentional, but rather a miscalculation related to the new fluidity engine and its animations.

This issue should be a priority for OnePlus. Android is known for its freedom and customization, so breaking a core aspect is disappointing.

This highlights a pattern of OnePlus overpromising and underdelivering. The brand often excels in some areas but falls short in others, which is why OnePlus phones are sometimes called "underdog" flagships, despite being premium devices. The intricate design of the OnePlus 13 is appealing, which creates high expectations for its performance.

There have been past issues with disappearing AI features and ghost-charging, but the AI features are back, and battery life has improved. There are always issues to address, which is normal.

However, issues with basic navigation are unacceptable. This would never happen on an iPhone, so OnePlus should take more inspiration from Apple.