TL;DR
- OnePlus is rolling out a new OxygenOS 16 update for the OnePlus 13, starting in India with other regions to follow.
- The update expands bypass charging controls beyond gaming.
- It also brings smaller tweaks like improved app categories, Private Safe upgrades, and the January 2026 security patch.
OnePlus has begun rolling out a new OxygenOS 16 update for the OnePlus 13 that brings a meaningful tweak to how the phone handles charging under load, along with some other additions.
According to a post on the OnePlus Community forum, OxygenOS 16.0.3.501 is rolling out in batches to Indian models first. This is typical of OnePlus OTA releases, which usually start in one region before expanding more widely once any early issues are ironed out.
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The expansion of bypass charging behavior is the most notable change. Bypass charging itself isn’t new on the OnePlus 13, but it was previously only available when gaming, when enabled, routing power directly to the system via Game Booster instead of charging the battery. What’s new in this update is added flexibility. OnePlus has introduced additional controls and thresholds to protect the battery and reduce overheating, and similar behavior now applies in more high-load situations beyond games.
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Beyond charging tweaks, the update includes several smaller quality-of-life improvements. The Photos app now supports editing images up to 50MP without reducing image quality, the app drawer gains improved categorization with new “Office” and “Finance” sections, and Private Safe is easier to use, with options to browse, search, and share files. OnePlus has also bundled in the January 2026 Android security patch.
All of this lands on a phone that’s already had a strong year. The OnePlus 13 was named our Editor’s Choice phone of 2025, and this update fits neatly into OnePlus’ OxygenOS 16 push, which builds on Android 16 with its own set of refinements. If you’re outside India, you’ll need to wait a bit longer, but OnePlus updates like this typically make their way to other regions in the weeks that follow.
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