OnePlus 13 gets bypass charging in its first big update of 2026, as Nord 5 and Nord 4 also pick up new OxygenOS updates

OnePlus has releasd fresh OxygenOS update for the OnePlus 13, OnePlus Nord 5, and Nord 4, bringing new features and enhancements, and the latest Android security patch to its flagship and mid-range smartphones.

OnePlus 13 gets a new bypass charging feature

The main highlight of the OnePlus 13 update (16.0.3.501) is the addition of a new bypass charging feature.  As the name implies, the feature allows your phone to draw power directly from the charger instead of routing it through the battery first. It’s a feature we’ve seen on dedicated gaming phones for a while; it keeps the phone cooler and protects the battery from the stress of heat and constant micro-cycles when gaming, live streaming, or using navigation for hours with brightness cranked all the way up.

Additionally, you can now edit full-resolution 50-megapixel photos without the app crushing the quality, and the app drawer is getting smarter with new "Office" and "Finance" categories to auto-sort your clutter. The update also bumps the security patch level to January 2026.

OnePlus has also released new OxygenOS 16-based update for the OnePlus Nord 5 and Nord 4, who are seeing nearly identical updates focused on quality-of-life improvements. Most notably, the update improves the activation of the Circle to Search feature. If you use gesture navigation and hide the guide bar (as many clean-setup enthusiasts do), you can now trigger the visual search overlay just by holding the bottom area of the screen.

Both devices now also support launching storage cleanup tools directly from the Smart Sidebar, and the Photos app has been improved to enhance thumbnail parsing, resulting in faster thumbnail loading. Finally, the update includes the latest security patches for January 2026. 

The new updates are currently limited to users in India who are already running OxygenOS 16, the company’s latest software skin based on Android 16, with a wider rollout set to follow in the coming weeks.

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OxygenOS 16.0.3.501 update changelog for the OnePlus 13

• The Photos app now supports editing images (up to 50 million pixels) without compromising image quality.
• Adds a bypass charging feature. When gaming, live streaming, watching videos, navigating, or in other high-load situations, you can now connect to the charger for bypass charging. This feature lets you simultaneously use and charge your phone without harming the battery, while also reducing overheating.
• Improves app categorization in Drawer mode by adding the "Office" and "Finance" categories to make it easier to find apps.
• Integrates the January 2026 Android security patch to enhance system security.
• You can now browse files in Private Safe by sliding the side slider.
• You can now search for files from folders in Private Safe.
• You can now share files in Private Safe.
• Adds a "Reply with SMS" switch that lets you hide the SMS reply option on the incoming call screen. You can find this feature in "Contacts -︙- Settings - Answer/End calls - Reply with SMS".

OnePlus Nord 5 / Nord 4 update changelog (OxygenOS 16.0.2.400 / 16.0.2.401)

• You can now launch storage cleanup tools directly from Smart Sidebar for easier storage cleanup.
• The filter in the Photos app now supports "Motion Photo", "Screenshots & screen recordings", and "Edited" options, making it easier to filter images and videos.
• Improves the thumbnail parsing method in the Photos app to speed up the display of thumbnails in the app.
• After resizing an app icon and adding commonly used shortcut icons, you can now drag-and-drop these shortcut icons to rearrange them.
• You can now drag to resize app clone icons and add shortcuts.
• Only on the Nord 5: You can now stack 2×1 widgets on the Home screen, improving space utilization.
• Improves the activation of the "Circle to Search" feature. In gesture navigation, even if the gesture guide bar is hidden, you can launch the feature by touching and holding the area where the guide bar is usually located.
• Integrates the January 2026 Android security patch to enhance system security.
• You can now edit images and videos directly in Private Safe, without needing to unlock them.
• After you open the Phone Manager app, a pop-up will appear, prompting you to allow automatic blocklist updates over Wi-Fi and mobile data. If you allow this, the blocklist can be updated promptly, effectively improving detection success rates and protection efficiency.