The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are a part of the Android 12 beta program, which means you can install a developer release of Android 12 on them. Unlike Google Pixel devices, the Android 12 beta upgrade is not available as an over the air update for the OnePlus 9 series.

This means the process of installing the Android 12 developer beta release on the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro is a fair bit different from Google Pixel devices. Here's how to do it.

Android 12 Beta on OnePlus 9 Series: What to Know

  • The Android 12 developer beta release for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro is strictly meant for developers. It has a lot of bugs and stability issues, so it cannot be used as a daily driver.
  • Your OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro will be formatted during the installation process, so make sure to create a backup of all your important data.
  • Make sure that your OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro is running the latest version of OxygenOS.
  • OnePlus provides rollback packages for Android 11, so you can go back to it after trying out Android 12.

Before you jump into the installation steps below, we strongly recommended you take a look through the precautions of trying the Android 12 beta on your device now.

You can also find some of the top Android 12 features here.

OnePlus 9 Pro

How to Install the Android 12 Beta on OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro

  1. Download the Android 12 developer preview build for the OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro. Make sure to connect to a fast Wi-Fi network since the Android 12 ROM file is pretty large. You can find the latest Android 12 beta ROM for the OnePlus 9 series in this OnePlus forum thread.
  2. Proceed to transfer the ROM file to the internal storage of your OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro. Alternatively, you can download the ROM file directly on your device.
  3. On your OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro, navigate to Settings > System > System Updates. In the Updater app, tap the settings icon located on the top-right corner.
  4. From the settings menu, select the Local upgrade option. Then, select the ROM file you downloaded and transferred to your device in steps 1-2. Confirm your selection by tapping on Confirm. You will have to enter your phone's unlock pattern or password for confirmation purposes.
  5. The installation process will now begin. Once it is done, you'll be prompted to reboot your device, after which it will boot into Android 12.

Your OnePlus 9 device will directly boot into the home screen. There will not be any setup process. So, if you need to sign in to your Google account, you need to do that from the Settings menu.

OnePlus could roll out updates for its Android 12 beta preview build for the OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro. Such updates should show up on your device as an OTA update.

How to Downgrade Your OnePlus 9/Pro to Android 11

Once you are done playing around with Android 12 on your OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro, you can downgrade back to Android 11 using the rollback package from OnePlus.

  1. Download the Android 11 rollback package for the OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro from here and transfer it to your phone's internal storage.
  2. Download and install this Android 12 updater app from OnePlus. You might need to give your browser permission to sideload apps for this.
  3. Open the Updater app and tap on the Settings icon on the top-right corner.
  4. Proceed to select the Android 11 rollback package from the window that opens up. Confirm you want to downgrade your OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro by tapping Confirm.
  5. Once the upgrade is complete, tap the Restart button. Your OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro will now reboot and boot back into Android 11. Proceed to set up your OnePlus device again by logging into your Google account.

Try Out Android 12 on the OnePlus 9

OnePlus 9 Pro

The Android 12 developer preview package from OnePlus allows you to try out the upcoming version of Android on your OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro. The package will benefit developers who can test and develop their apps for the upcoming Android release.

If you are a regular user for whom stability is of prime importance, you should wait until the final release of Android 12---scheduled for late Q3---to try out Android 12 on your OnePlus 9 or 9 Pro.