Although the OnePlus 9 family was the first series from the company to receive the OxygenOS 12 update, the OnePlus 9RT was left out for some reason. So, while OnePlus has rolled out a couple of OxygenOS 11 updates for it over the last few months, owners of the OnePlus 9RT haven’t had the opportunity to get a taste of Android 12, unless they opt for the custom ROM route. That changes now, though, as OnePlus has finally started offering the first OxygenOS 12 Open Beta build for the device, giving users the option to test new features before they roll out with a stable Android 12 update.

As per a recent post on the OnePlus Community forums, the first OxygenOS 12 Open Beta release for the OnePlus 9RT is now available for download. The underlying build number is C.03, and the Android security patch level is June 2022. The release includes a handful of new features and several under-the-hood changes.

Below you can find the complete changelog of the first Open Beta build:

  • New design
    • Optimized desktop icons with improved textures, by using a design inspired by brand-new materials and uniting lights and layers
  • Performance
    • Newly added Quick launch, a feature that detects the apps you use frequently and pre-loads them so you can open them quickly
    • Newly added a chart to display your battery usage
    • Optimized the auto brightness algorithm to adapt screen brightness to more scenes for a comfortable screen reading experience
  • Dark mode
    • Newly supported three adjustable levels, bringing a more personalized and comfortable user experience
  • Shelf
    • Newly added style options for Cards, making data contents more visual and easier to read
    • Newly added Earphone Control Card with Bluetooth earphone one-click adjustment
    • Newly added access to OnePlus Scout in Shelf, allowing you to search multiple contents on your phone, including Apps, Settings, Media Data, etc
    • Newly added OnePlus Watch Card in Shelf, to easily glance at your health status
  • Work Life Balance
    • Newly added Work Life Balance feature, allowing you to effortlessly switch between Work and Life mode via quick settings
    • Supported automatic Work/Life mode switching, based on specific locations, Wi-Fi network, and time, also bringing customized App notification profiles according to the personalization
  • Gallery
    • Newly supported switching between different layouts with a two-finger pinch gesture, intelligently recognizing the best-quality pictures, and cropping the thumbnail based on the content, making the gallery layout more pleasing
  • Canvas AOD
    • Newly added diverse styles of lines and colors, for a more personalized lock screen experience with inspiring visuals
    • Newly added multiple brushes and strokes and support for color adjustment
  • Games
    • Optimized the gaming experience in team fight scenes
    • Newly added the HyperBoost end-to-end frame rate stabilizer
  • Camera
    • Optimized the display of camera modes on the menu bar
    • Optimized the experience of zooming in or out when shooting videos with rear camera
  • Accessibility
    • Newly added visuals to text instructions for an intuitive understanding of accessibility functions
    • Newly supported more system apps in TalkBack, including Photos, Phone, Mail, and Calendar
    • Optimized categorization of functions by grouping them into vision, hearing, interactive actions, and general

Keep in mind that this is still beta software, and it’s not necessarily worth installing on your daily driver just yet. If you install the Open Beta build, you will not be able to get an OTA to switch to a stable build. OnePlus also recommends making a full system backup before proceeding, as while the update does not wipe your phone, there’s always the potential for something to go wrong.

OnePlus 9RT XDA Forums

Download OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 9RT

Before installing the beta software, ensure that your device has a minimum of 30% battery and 4GB of available storage space. Furthermore, the device must be on OxygenOS 11's A.08 build. The local update APK needs to be separately downloaded and installed, otherwise you can't sideload the release.

  • OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 1:

If you wish to roll back to the stable release at any point, you can download the rollback package from the link below. Notably, this will wipe all your data, so you should take a backup before proceeding.

  • Rollback package:

Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the tip!

Source: OnePlus