OxygenOS to soon have India-centric features.
The features include, Work-life Balance, Smart SMS app, Caller Identification, OnePlus Roaming, and Cricket Scores.
At the OnePlus 7 Pro launch event, OnePlus said that India is an important market for the company. Szymon Kopec, Product Lead at OnePlus, announced on-stage that company’s OxygenOS will get a few India-specific features via a software update soon. The company has now announced that these features will be released in the Open Beta build in June-end for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T smartphones first. The features include Work-life Balance, Smart SMS app, Caller Identification, OnePlus Roaming, and Cricket Scores.
The news comes a few days after the company rolled out the first OTA update for OnePlus 7 Pro bringing the DC Dimming, among other features. This update was released globally. OnePlus says India is a soundboard for innovation for the company and it has a dedicated R&D team, that is focused on gathering local feedback and using the information to better the product on a software level. Below are the details of the new features that will released specially for India.
Work-life Balance
The Work-life Balance feature is akin to setting up a time-table. Users can set work and/or free timings, and also choose apps that should be barred from sending notifications during that time. For example, if you work in a 10am to 6pm shift, you can choose apps like Instagram to not to send you any notifications during the working hours. Users can also check the amount of time spent ‘working’.
Smart SMS
With Smart SMS, OnePlus is trying to reduce the clutter in the SMS inbox. The feature will segregate the text messages on the basis of their category, that is, bills, banking, etc, and present them to the users in a more structured way.
Caller Identification
The Caller Identification feature will work like the Truecaller app that many of us have installed on our phones. It will be integrated into the dialler app, so when you call an unidentified number, or a call comes to you from a number that you haven’t saved, the feature will flash the details, like name of the caller on the screen. According to the company, the feature will be able to label the calls, like spam, business, etc. Users will also be able to tag an unidentified number under a specific category.
OnePlus Roaming
OnePlus introduced the ‘OnePlus Roaming’ feature last year. It is a SIM-free data service, which the company says should work in “most” countries and regions. It can be found in the Settings > Wi-Fi & Internet, and from there user can purchase roaming packages. This is an additional option to those who do not want to buy an extra SIM when travelling to other countries or do not have an international pack activated on their number.
Cricket Scores
The feature seems to-the-point for a country like India where Cricket is followed as a religion. The Cricket Scores will be integrated into the Shelf – the left most screen on a OnePlus phone. This screen shows the shortcuts of the recently-opened apps. OnePlus has tied up with ESPNCricinfo for this feature, and with one tap, users can check and follow latest scores of cricket matches in real-time. (In Pixel devices, the left-most screen is a specially curated news section, and on Samsung devices, there are Bixby-related shortcuts).
It is not clear whether all these features are developed at company’s R&D centre in Hyderabad, we’ll update the story with further info later. OnePlus’ Hyderabad facility helps in development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) software for its products and drive local innovations. The company recently announced that it would open the world’s largest OnePlus store in Hyderabad later this year.
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