OxygenOS on OnePlus devices remains the Android skin to beat when it comes to performance. It is a favorite among Android enthusiasts too and some even rate it higher than stock Android. However, OxygenOS apps made by OnePlus 6 aren’t that great. They’re not bad by any means, they just don’t stand out compared to Google apps. If you wanted to replace OxygenOS apps with Google Apps on OnePlus 6, now you can do so more easily.
For those who root their devices, replacing stock apps with something on the Google Play Store isn’t that difficult. You simply delete the system app and install something from the Play Store. If need be, one can also turn that installed app into a system app. But if you have to repeat the process for multiple apps it does get tedious. XDA Senior Member aoprea’s flashable package for TWRP makes the job a lot easier.
Why replace OxygenOS apps on OnePlus 6 with Google Apps?
As the developer himself says, he doesn’t get why OnePlus chooses to create “stupid” apps instead of focusing on the OS. Apps like Phone, Messages, Contacts, etc. which don’t add a whole lot on top of Google apps which are already there. Recently, OnePlus released an update to OxygenOS where integration of Google Duo with the Phone and Messaging apps was counted as a feature. Working on features like that can clearly be avoided by using Google apps in the first place.
To be fair to OnePlus, Google itself has very much abandoned the stock Android apps on AOSP builds. The apps are outdated, generic, featureless, and so on and the prime example of this is the stock Android camera app. This is why you’ll notice most custom ROMs now ship with their own versions of a Phone, Messaging, and Contacts app along with a camera port of some kind. So some OxygenOS apps are, in fact, necessary like the Gallery, Weather, Camera, etc.
On the other hand, apps like Phone, Messages, Contacts, Calculator, Clock, etc. could have been avoided by using Google Apps. Maybe Google has a restriction on letting OEMs use these apps unless the phone ships with a stock Android build. We don’t know.
Requirements
But if you do prefer Google apps which are actually regularly updated through the play store, you’ll need TWRP recovery. Installing TWRP recovery on the OnePlus 6 is fairly easy, albeit a little different, due to the A/B partition scheme. We have a detailed guide on how to install the TWRP recovery on a OnePlus 6 that you can check out if needed.
The other requirement is that your OnePlus should be running OxygenOS 9.0.4 which is the latest version as of now.
How to replace OxygenOS apps on OnePlus 6 with Google Apps
- With TWRP recovery installed, download the zip file linked below.
- Reboot your device into recovery mode.
- Power off your device.
- Press and hold Power and Volume Down buttons together.
- Let go of the power button when the device vibrates once.
- Leave the Volume button once the screen turns on. Your device should now boot into TWRP recovery.
- Select Install from the TWRP main menu.
- Navigate to and select the downloaded zip file. It’s most probably in the Downloads folder.
- Once the file is selected, swipe at the bottom to flash it.
- As the file is flashed, it will replace OxygenOS apps with Google apps.
- When the flashing is complete, tap on the Reboot system button that appears.
When your OnePlus 6 comes back on, you should notice most of the unnecessary Oxygen replaced with Google apps. The script included in the flashable zip actually replaces many more apps that you’ll notice. Below is a list of all the user and system apps replaced.
List of replaced OxygenOS apps
- Account
- AntHalService
- BasicDreams
- BTtestmode
- Calculator
- DeskClock
- EasterEgg
- NFCTestMode
- NVBackupUI
- OPBugReport_Complete
- OPBugReportLite
- OpenWnn
- OPSocialNetworkHub
- OPWidget
- Protips
- talkback
- Contacts
- Dialer
- OPInCallUI
- OPMms
- OPSimContacts
- StorageManager
There are some more handy Google apps that aren’t very popular despite the very fact they are very useful. If you are curious, do not forget to check out these good but less known Google apps on your OnePlus device.
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