[Update: Dev-program reboot coming] OnePlus will no longer send free phones to ROM and kernel developers


OnePlus initially found its niche by appealing to hardcore Android enthusiasts. Over the years, the company's phones have always had a strong ROM/kernel development scene. OnePlus even sent free devices to popular developers — until now, that is.
Several notable developers, including John Wu (Creator of Magisk) and Francisco Franco (creator of Franco Kernel), revealed on Twitter that OnePlus has ended its developer seeding program. We've reached out to the company for comment, but we have not received a response yet.
Francisco@franciscof_1990
For the record @oneplus just ended their Developer seeding program where they would send a bunch of us a "free" unit. It shouldn't impact things too much on the Kernel side for the 6T since it shares the same tree with the 6, but the rom scene will likely be fucked.
140
5:16 PM - Nov 27, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
33 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
John Wu@topjohnwu
@oneplus just terminated the dev seeding program: no more devices sent to devs for development.
Devs like @franciscof_1990, @Dees_Troy, @osm0sis_xda, @arter97, all major ROM devs are on the list.
I'm "looking forward" to see how the 6t forum will eventually end up LOL.
234
5:30 PM - Nov 27, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
78 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
OnePlus isn't the only major Android device manufacturer stepping away from the development community. Huawei halted its bootloader unlock program earlier this year, even though the company sent phones to prominent ROM and kernel developers a few months prior.

This isn't a surprising move by OnePlus — the company is moving its focus towards carrier partnerships (and 4K TVs), and the number of people who purchase a phone based on what ROMs are available is relatively minuscule.
It's difficult to predict how ending the developer program will affect future ROM/kernel development for OnePlus phones, but my guess is that not much will change. There was an active development scene before the program came into being, and plenty of other phones (like the Pixel 2 XL) have ROMs and kernels without any help from the manufacturer.
A new statement issued by a spokesperson asserts that OnePlus is still very interested in maintaining a good relationship with developers, and that the company's working now to retool the process through which it interacts with them:
We’ve temporarily scaled back our developer program while we work out how to make it even better in the future. We’ll be updating the selection criteria and communication channels with developers in our seeding program for better co-operation. We will restart the program and select Devs based on the new criteria and will work on providing the best possible support to community development efforts for OnePlus devices.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Linktree’s free workaround lets you add multiple links to your Instagram bio

Image
Instagram only gives you one opportunity to link to outside resources inside its photo sharing platform. This might not be a problem for a majority of the users, but for those wanting a little more customization and even more options, it leaves much to be desired. Enter  Linktree , a free tool for Instagram designed to improve traffic to your outside link, be it a blog, portfolio, or store. How it works is fairly straightforward. After connecting Linktree to your Instagram profile, you’ll receive a single link to place in your Instagram bio. Once that link in place, you can customize what it’s linked to within your browser, be it a single website, or a collection of sites you’re looking to direct followers to Say you’re a photographer who’s using Instagram as a marketing tool for your wedding photography. Using Linktree, you can direct Instagram followers to your blog, your portfolio site, and even your other social media accounts. Until now, you would’ve been stuck c...
Read more

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE PIXEL 4, THE MOST-LEAKED PHONE EVER

Image
Google’s  Pixel 3 might have been the  most-leaked phone in history . Long before its unveiling, we knew practically everything about it from unboxing videos, photo comparisons, even a full review of the device. Surely, for the Pixel 4, Google would clamp down on leaks to leave some surprises for its debut on  October 15th , right? Let’s just say, if that was the plan, it didn’t exactly work out. We’ve now seen the Pixel 4 XL from every angle and in three different colors. At least seven different sources have touched this phone, many of them confirming the same specs. We not only know which cameras it’ll have, but also what they may be capable of, including air gestures (go figure). That doesn’t even count information Google has already shared  on purpose. So if you want to know almost everything about the Pixel 4 nearly a month before it’s announced, buckle up. We’ve sifted through all of the rumors and information we can find to compile everything we know —...
Read more

Our favorite iOS apps for the iPhone and iPad in 2018

Image
As 2018 comes to a close, it’s time to look at some our favorite apps of the year. While not all of these are brand new, many of them popped up onto our radar for the first time in 2018, and are definitely worth the attention. Others are some of our favorites that are still best-in-class despite having been around for some time now. We aim to do things differently at TNW, and as such you’re not going to find the recommendations you’re probably used to seeing: Gmail, Skype, Dropbox, and the like. Instead, we want to focus on the best-of-the-best that you may not have heard of, and others that are just special enough to warrant a mention. As always, we’d encourage you to share some of your favorites in the comments below, or on Facebook. Enlight Pixaloop (Free Pixaloop  is one of my favorite apps on the market. Unlike typical image editors that allow you to remove red eye or apply a filter, Pixaloop allows you to create stunning photo animations with a few c...
Read more