OnePlus 12, OnePlus Open Spotted Offering Bloatware During Setup, Company Responds: Report

OnePlus has reportedly stated that soft-preloads on the OnePlus 12 was an error that took place during testing.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 10 May 2024 18:53 IST

OnePlus 12, OnePlus Open Spotted Offering Bloatware During Setup, Company Responds: Report

Photo Credit: OnePlus

OnePlus Open was launched globally in October last year

Highlights

More bloatware may head to the OnePlus 12 soon
OnePlus Nord CE 4 has two pre-installed apps
OnePlus claims that the error should be corrected as of May 6

OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open are the top-of-the-line handsets from the Chinese smartphone maker. Now, users of these smartphones have claimed that their smartphones offered to install 'bloatware' apps. A user took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that OnePlus is installing up to four additional third-party apps on the OnePlus 12 in India during the device setup process. These unwanted apps appear under the “From OnePlus” header in the “Review additional apps” screen during the setup. The issue has since been addressed by the company.

X user Gauraang Arora spotted a new “Review additional apps” screen presented during the setup process on his OnePlus 12. This screen shows four Google Play apps pre-selected by default — LinkedIn, Policybazaar, Block Blast And Candy Crush Saga. These apps were located under a header that reads “From OnePlus”.

Android Authority recently tested the setup process in three regions and found that four apps are pre-selected during setup on Indian variants of the OnePlus 12 running the latest Oxygen OS 14.0.0.610 build. The US reportedly offers one third-party app, while there are no pre-selected apps presented in the EU. Users can opt out of installing the listed apps, which are selected by default. However, there are chances that they might skip through the setup process pushing the bloatware on their handsets.

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Additionally, the publication found three more pre-installed Meta apps — Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services on the OnePlus Open. All these Meta apps were reportedly spotted on the OnePlus 8 series earlier and the brand had been criticised for this inclusion as they cannot be easily uninstalled from the handsets.

OnePlus has reportedly addressed the issue saying it was in error. "The soft-preloads on OnePlus 12 was an error made during testing and has been rectified as of May 6. The OnePlus 12 does not come pre-loaded with any of these apps and will continue to remain light, fast and smooth" OnePlus told Android Authority.

The company added that it keeps OxygenOS bloatware free, but the company admits that there were two pre-installed apps (Instagram and Agoda) on the OnePlus Nord CE 4. It also said the apps are as simple to remove or uninstall and the company is working closely with app developers to ensure better performance on OnePlus devices.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite May Debut in India Soon, Allegedly Listed on BIS

Prominent tipster 1NormalUsername on X suggests that more bloatware will head to the OnePlus 12 in the latest OxygenOS version. Third-party apps like Fitbit, Bubble Pop, Facebook, Amazon, Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Zomato, Agoda and Swiggy could either be pre-installed or will be shown as APK shortcuts.

OnePlus Open

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Slim and light foldable design
Excellent displays
Plenty of raw performance
Good for gaming
Speedy wired charging
Well-rounded cameras
Excellent battery life

Bad
No wireless charging
Basic IP rating

Read detailed OnePlus Open review

Display (Primary) 7.82-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Front Camera 20-megapixel + 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 64-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 16GB

Storage 512GB, 1TB

Battery Capacity 4800mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 2,440x2,268 pixels

More OnePlus mobiles OnePlus mobiles price in India

OnePlus 12

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
IP65 rated
Vibrant 120Hz QHD+ display
Excellent battery life
Fast wired and wireless charging
Smooth and bloatware-free software
Quality primary and telephoto cameras
Good for gaming

Bad
Minor quality issues
Ultra-wide angle camera could be better
Low light selfies are below average

Read detailed OnePlus 12 review

Display 6.82-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Front Camera 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 64-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB, 16GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 5400mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1440x3168 pixels

More OnePlus mobiles OnePlus mobiles price in India

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Further reading: OnePlus, OnePlus Open, OnePlus 12, OnePlus Open bloatware, bloatware

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More