OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T and Nord still get 5G in the o2 network

January 17, 2022 Fiona Smith

German customers who use a OnePlus smartphone in the o2 network have a problem: 5G cannot be used on many OnePlus devices. Now the corresponding support should be handed in later.

The short version: After talking to customer service, technical support and the press department, OnePlus promises that the 2020 smartphones OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T and Nord in the first half of 2022 but still 5G support in the German o2 network receive. If you are interested in the long version, follow me into the rabbit hole.

5G odyssey in OnePlus smartphones at o2

I was amazed when I recently signed up for a mobile phone contract German network of o2 Telefónica changed. Because although my tariff includes 5G support and my smartphone, a OnePlus 8T (market launch September 2020), is supposed to support 5G… it didn’t work. A connection to the fast wireless standard could not be established in Berlin, which is actually well developed with 5G, nor was the 5G option selectable in the connection settings.

Something is missing: With o2 there is no 5G on younger OnePlus smartphones.

I did a Google search and was amazed again: It’s not me, my SIM card or my device. According to various entries in different forums seemed numerous o2 customers with younger OnePlus smartphones cannot use 5G.

The fact that 5G does not work at o2 was initially incomprehensible to me. On the one hand, the devices are all equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, whose 5G modems work without any problems in other smartphones. On the other hand, OnePlus has heavily advertised its smartphones with the 5G function and is considered a manufacturer with an ear to the needs of the community. With devices that cost many hundreds of euros, such problems should not occur or at least be fixed promptly after they become known – actually.

I wanted to know more: was it OnePlus or o2? Does o2 bake its own rolls with 5G that hinder compatibility with OnePlus devices? Does OnePlus equip its devices with unsuitable hardware and/or software? Are there other reasons for the incompatibility, maybe a medieval inheritance feud or did one of the two parties release a disstrack, as is usual among speech singers? I delved further into the topic.

During my research, I found out some background information. There are only a few media reports on this problem. Only colleague Matthias von go2android reported about it, there was one in Caschy’s blog side note to.

The findings in brief:

In addition to the OnePlus 8T are other devices also affected, namely the four smartphones released in 2020: OnePlus 8, 8T, 8 Pro, North.
Some 2021 devices also had the problem. With the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, 5G support for o2 Germany was patched in July 2021 submitted later, i.e. about three months after release. The Nord 2 supported 5G at o2 right from the start.
At its core, the problem seems to be that OnePlus is using the 5G policy not approved for Mobile Network Code 262-03 has. This means that the firmware is missing a statement: Allow 5G if the SIM card is registered in the German o2 network. So it really seems to be just a banal entry in a text file that is missing or needs to be changed.
There is one workaround, which can be used to manually add 5G support to most OnePlus devices. This includes somewhat dubious software, unsigned Windows device drivers, must be reinstalled for firmware updates and is therefore not recommended for normal users. But: The reports of success from a few courageous and skilled users prove that 5G at o2 is possible in principle on devices from the OnePlus 8 series, that is no hardware defect present.

Of course, I then contacted OnePlus customer service, who forwarded me to technical support. I was guided through a few menus via email and asked to record and send in log files. Even though I didn’t quite understand the purpose, I did. They promised I would look through the logs and fix my problem with the next OS update.

In addition, I contacted the OnePlus press office and described the problem. Fortunately, Barbara Reindl, the German spokeswoman for OnePlus, also answered positively:

We are working to make the 5G experience possible for all users in Germany. Therefore, the OnePlus 9 series (with the OnePlus 9 and the 9 Pro), the Nord 2 and the Nord CE already have the technical requirements to use 5G in the German o2 network as well. The OnePlus 8T, the OnePlus 8 series (with the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro) and the OnePlus Nord will follow in the first half of 2022. – OnePlus

5G support for o2 in Germany for the devices mentioned should actually come, presumably with the next major update to Android 12 – but that may well take a few weeks or months, because with this update OnePlus’ Android variant OxygenOS is moving to the technical basis of Oppos ColorOS. The OnePlus 9/9 Pro had some bugs and problems here, because of which OnePlus initially withdrew the update.

Despite the basically positive news, a bitter conclusion remains for me. In my view, it is forgivable that an essential, much-touted feature for smartphones such as 5G compatibility does not work right away, at least if it is a software problem and can therefore be fixed. The fact that it was not fixed earlier, more than 1 year after the release (The OnePlus 8 was launched on April 14th, 2020 – 21 months ago!), despite the fact that the problem was well known and, I assume, also many support requests, is again bitter . Let’s hope that OnePlus learns from this and does better in the future. You already know: never settle.