One of the more interesting controversies in the smartphone industry last year was the decision by OnePlus to launch an updated version of the OnePlus 5 just six months after its initial release. The OnePlus 5T isn’t a dramatic upgrade, but with its sleeker, all-screen design, some of the company’s loyal early adopters were understandably disappointed that they had opted for the OnePlus 5 before they knew a better version would be right around the corner.
Unfortunately, there’s no way for OnePlus to swap out the front panel of everyone’s OnePlus 5 with that of a OnePlus 5T, but the good news it that OnePlus 5 owners are getting one of the 5T’s exclusive features. On Sunday, OnePlus rolled out a new OxygenOS beta that brings Face Unlock functionality to the original OnePlus 5.
While not as secure as Apple’s Face ID (which has admittedly run into issues of its own), Face Unlock on the OnePlus 5T proved to be a popular enough addition that OnePlus CEO Carl Pei and his team decided to port the feature to the OnePlus 5. He announced the move the day before Christmas in a tweet:
Due to popular demand, Face Unlock is coming for the OnePlus 5. Thanks for the feedback, and merry Christmas! 🎅🎄🎁
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) December 24, 2017
If you own a OnePlus 5 and you’re dying to try out Face Unlock ASAP, you can head over to OnePlus’s website for instructions about how to download and install the beta. It’s not a very complex process, but if you’re not comfortable following all the steps, you might be better off just waiting a few days or week for the update to officially roll out.
