Adam Molina / Android Authority
TL; DR
- A leaked internal memo instructs OnePlus employees how to answer (or not answer) questions about the OnePlus and Oppo integration.
- Most revealingly, the memo starts with instructions on how to Not Answer all questions about Oxygen OS and Oppos Color OS.
- The memo also states that OnePlus is looking for ways to include iOS users in its ecosystem.
Earlier this week, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau officially announced that OnePlus and the associated Oppo brand would “further integrate”. It’s no secret that the two brands were closely related, but now they’re moving even closer together.
Given that the original level of integration between the two companies was foggy, this is even more confusing now that neither company makes very clear what it all means. Significantly, OnePlus reportedly issued an internal memo to employees to clear up this confusion. Series leaker Evan Blass received a copy of the supposed memo, and it contains some terrifying information.
At the very beginning of the memo we find the most meaningful information (or lack thereof). The memo has “Important Notice” highlighted and provides instructions on how employees Not Answer any questions about Oxygen OS, Color OS, or how the new integration will affect them. You can see it for yourself below:
In case you can’t read it, here is the text of the highlighted note:
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not answer any operating system or Color OS questions aimed at announcing the integration. Just use the answer below – “We don’t currently have any updates on the operating systems. Please stay up to date on our official channels. “
That hint is worrying, to say the least. If OnePlus were absolutely confident that Oxygen OS wouldn’t be replaced by Color OS (or some kind of hybridization) at some point, it would just say that, right? The rest of the memo hits the same points over and over again: nothing changes, everything will be great, all of this will be good news for OnePlus fans. Why shouldn’t the company also say, “Oxygen OS is going nowhere” to allay a concern?
Let us know what you think about the Oxygen OS controversy in our latest poll.
Other tidbits from the OnePlus / Oppo memo
There are two other notable revelations from the alleged memo. The first is that Pete Lau is referred to as the “Founder of OnePlus”. That is only partially true. The company has claimed over the years that Lau co-founded the company with Carl Pei. Although Pei has since left, that doesn’t change the fact that he is a co-founder. Well, this may be a typo, but it seems suspicious.
In another section, the company gives a pre-made answer to the following question: “Are OnePlus, Oppo and Realme building a common ecosystem for all brands?” The answer is a typical distraction, but it has a semi-juicy tidbit (emphasis added) :
OnePlus is looking for a variety of ways to bring its tech-leading products to more users around the world. In addition to building a seamless, networked ecosystem for its products, OnePlus is also investigating how to use other Android, and even iOS, Users into its ecosystem.
Obviously, pointing this out to iOS users could be as simple as offering cross-platform products like earbuds. However, it could be a sign that OnePlus is planning to offer more lines of products that even iPhone users might want to buy.
We’ll have to wait and see how OnePlus reacts to this leak as this information, which is being released to the public, is clearly not in the memo.