Manually update OnePlus 6 to the latest firmware version

Here is the guide to manually update OnePlus 6 to the latest firmware version. How to have OnePlus 6 always up to date. OnePlus Manual Upgrade Guide 6

Update OnePlus 6 to the latest firmware available, before any others

New day, new guide dedicated to owners of Android smartphones, especially those who own OnePlus 6.

Today we will see how to manually update OnePlus 6 to the latest available version of the firmware before all the others.

If you are one of those who feels the need to download and install a firmware update immediately as soon as it is released, this guide is for you!

Together we will go to see how to immediately download the latest firmware for OnePlus 6 as soon as developers make it available.

In this way you will not have to wait for the firmware to be released globally for everyone, but you can have it immediately on your smartphone, before everyone else.

Tested with OxygenOS 5.1.11

Let’s start by saying that this guide has been tested personally with OnePlus 6 and OxygenOS 5.1.11, released just in the last hours.

Just for information, remember that the OxygenOS 5.1.11 fixes the display problem and improves the HDR. No big news, but I absolutely wanted to download and immediately install this firmware on my smartphone before leaving for the holidays and, seeing as I did, I’ll explain how to do it.

Still talking about the update to OxygenOS 5.1.11 for OnePlus 6, I point out that the OTA update has a weight of about 150 MB, while the complete firmware to be downloaded and installed by hand weighs about 1.4GB.

Let’s start with the actual guide to manually update OnePlus 6.

What changes from OTA update to update with full firmware?

Let’s start by saying that usually OnePlus releases firmware updates gradually via OTA.

This means that updates are released first for a few smartphones in just a few countries in the world. Then, slowly, if it is established that the update does not create problems for anyone and everything runs smoothly among the first testers, the update is progressively extended to all users.

This procedure avoids that all users immediately go to download a firmware update that maybe has a more or less relevant bug.

Furthermore, this mode prevents the download servers from blocking due to the excessive number of connected users.

The negative side of all this, however, is the fact that it may take several days before all smartphone owners receive this firmware update via OTA (so wirelessly, directly on the phone).

Fortunately, however, there is a trick to speed up the download of firmware updates via OTA on OnePlus, but we’ll talk later.

Now let’s talk about the other way to update OnePlus 6, which is represented by the download and subsequent installation of the complete firmware.

If the OTA update, which is incremental, usually weighs 100-200 MB (based on the new features introduced), the complete one weighs approximately 1.5 GB.

Definitely too much, but it is normal since you go to download all the firmware and not just the “new” part.

The important thing to remember, however, is that in both cases your data remains safe during the update.

Of course, making a backup is always recommended, but when you update OnePlus 6 to the latest firmware your data will not be touched, lost or deleted: when the update is complete, everything will still be in place, exactly as it was before.

The big difference between OTA update and full firmware update is the fact that OTA is much more convenient, immediate, light and fast.

So why do not everyone update through OTA?

Simple: the OTA update is not always available immediately for everyone.

In the case of OxygenOS 5.1.11, for example, only a few OnePlus 6 received the update. Even going to force it via VPN (we’ll see how to do it), the update was not found.

This is why, in cases such as these, manual updating is necessary through complete firmware.

How to force an OTA update on OnePlus 6

Apart from the specific case of OxygenOS 5.1.11, in general, as I anticipated the firmware updates on OnePlus 6, they gradually arrive via OTA.

But if you do not want to wait for the firmware to arrive in your country, but you want to install the update immediately, here is a trick that will allow you to immediately download the new firmware as soon as it is released.

You simply need:

go to the Android Play Store
download and install the free Melon VPN app
start it
activate the VPN connection
select Germany or Canada among the available countries
Go to OnePlus Settings 6
look for a firmware update
download it and install it automatically, as the smartphone always does

And here it is: you have quickly and easily forced an OTA update on OnePlus 6.

When the update is complete, return to the Melon VPN and disable the VPN.

I advise you to leave the app installed because it will be useful for future updates.

How to manually install a firmware on OnePlus 6

As we said above, it sometimes happens that the OTA file is “locked” and is only released for a few smartphones by the company.

Even forcing the update via VPN, therefore, you will not find it.

This is the case of OxygenOS 5.1.11, which was not seen by my OnePlus 6 even through a VPN.

So, since I wanted to update my OnePlus 6 at any cost, I followed the manual procedure, slightly longer but very simple.

You simply need:

download the complete firmware file from the XDA forum DIRECTLY ON THE SMARTPHONE (the link changes every time based on the firmware, but in general HERE you will find what you need)
download is complete, with a file manager MOVES the firmware file from the “Download” folder to the main one of the smartphone’s internal memory (it should not be extracted, it should only be moved)
at this point go to “Settings> System Updates“
click on the gear at the top right and select “Local update“
start the update
wait for it to be installed automatically

Here you are: now you have updated OnePlus 6 to the latest version of the firmware available.