OnePlus Tightens ColorOS 16 Unlocks With 14-Day Expiry and 4-Device Annual Cap
Updated
Updated · Notebookcheck.net · Jul 24
OnePlus Tightens ColorOS 16 Unlocks With 14-Day Expiry and 4-Device Annual Cap
1 articles · Updated · Notebookcheck.net · Jul 24
Summary
OnePlus said bootloader unlock approvals for Chinese-market ColorOS 16 and newer devices will now expire after 14 days if unused, and each real-name ID can unlock only four devices per year.
Applicants must now clear stricter checks—60-day-old accounts, no violations, real-name and face verification, a bound phone number, and seven straight days of login on the target device.
Review times have stretched to seven working days from the one to two days cited at the Deep Testing Program's late-2025 launch, and approvals are now subject to undisclosed quotas.
September brings the first quota release for already supported devices, with later batches arriving monthly; ColorOS 17 launch devices and upgrades must wait one month after release or update.
The move follows January's hardware anti-rollback rollout on some ColorOS 16 builds, extending OnePlus's shift away from the unlock-friendly stance that helped build its brand.