With the OnePlus 15 just months from launch, the company has unveiled OxygenOS 16, and it looks more like iOS than ever before. Built on Android 16, this update marks one of the most dramatic visual overhauls in OnePlus’s history, signaling a design shift that is raising eyebrows among longtime fans.
OxygenOS 16 introduces a new design language called “Breath With You,” which feels unmistakably familiar. The Quick Settings panel now mirrors the iPhone’s Control Center, complete with rounded translucent buttons and oval-shaped sliders. Even the weather app could easily pass for Apple’s, borrowing its layout, gradients, and typography.
The resemblance deepens with the new app drawer layout, which can now display apps in categorized sections nearly identical to iOS’s App Library. The lock screen also adopts Apple’s tall numeric clock styles and widget placements, further blurring the line between the two ecosystems. Once known for its minimalist, near-stock Android aesthetic, OnePlus now seems to have traded its signature simplicity for a Cupertino-inspired polish.
The similarities do not end with visuals. OxygenOS 16 pushes deeper into Apple’s territory with “Cross-Eco Connectivity,” allowing OnePlus devices to share files with iPhones and even pair with Apple Watches through the OHealth app. Notifications, messages, and exercise data can be synced across devices, making OnePlus’s ecosystem feel more Apple-like than ever. Whether Apple will allow this pairing to persist remains uncertain, but the ambition is clear.
Underneath the iOS-inspired design, OxygenOS 16 adds a suite of AI features designed to make the experience feel more adaptive. The new Mind Space app works alongside Google Gemini to organize saved content, while Plus Mind uses contextual data from screenshots and photos to automate tasks like adding calendar events or drafting messages. Features such as AI Writer, AI Scan, and AI Translator extend these capabilities, offering users convenience that feels familiar to Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” efforts.
Visually, OxygenOS 16 leans heavily on Apple’s formula for fluidity and elegance. The Flux Theme 2.0 adds moving wallpapers, smooth animations, and 3D effects that respond to user motion, while the new Fluid Cloud system creates dynamic interactions across notifications and widgets. The overall aesthetic now relies on soft blur effects, rounded icons, and translucent layers, the very elements that define modern iOS.
While the shift may attract users seeking a more polished, premium interface, it also risks alienating OnePlus loyalists who valued its distinct Android identity. Mimicking iOS has long been a trend among Chinese OEMs, but this is the first time OnePlus has so openly embraced Apple’s aesthetic on a global scale. OxygenOS 16, launching with the OnePlus 15 and rolling out through an open beta, makes one thing certain: OnePlus is not just inspired by iOS anymore, it is echoing it.
