Summary
- OnePlus’s November update for OxygenOS 16 adds a feature called “Automatically unlock when connected” that lets your OnePlus phone or tablet unlock your PC during a remote connection, using a saved password.
- The update is rolling out in stages to phones as version C20P01(BRB1EX01) and to tablets as C20P01(BRB3EX01). OnePlus started the rollout on 27 October 2026 and expects it to reach all eligible devices by around 19 November 2026.
- The feature works on a long list of devices, from the OnePlus Open and the OnePlus 15, 13, 12 and 11 series down to the OnePlus 10 Pro, recent Nord phones and the OnePlus Pad tablet family — but it requires OxygenOS 16 or later.
- It is not a proximity unlock: your PC does not open just because your phone is nearby. It only works while a supported remote connection is active, and you have to turn the setting on first.
Your phone already unlocks with your face or fingerprint, and your laptop already knows your password — so why should you have to type it in every time you connect to your PC from your phone? OnePlus has an answer. The company’s November software update adds a feature that lets a OnePlus phone or tablet unlock a remotely connected PC automatically, so the lock screen clears itself while you work from your handset.
What “Automatically unlock when connected” actually does
The feature is called “Automatically unlock when connected”, and it is rolling out now as part of OnePlus’s November update for OxygenOS 16 devices. It is a small addition on paper, but it is the kind of phone-to-PC convenience Android users have watched Apple owners enjoy for years — and it arrives on a surprisingly long list of OnePlus phones and tablets, not just the newest flagship.
The idea is simple. OnePlus phones and tablets can already connect to a PC remotely through the company’s Device Connect feature, which lets you control your computer from your mobile device. Until now, though, the PC’s lock screen still demanded a password each time you connected — which rather defeated the point of controlling the machine from your phone.
With the November update, that step can happen on its own. According to OnePlus’s changelog, the new setting “allows your PC to unlock when it’s remotely connected to your phone by using a saved password”. In practice, you save your PC password on your phone once, start a remote connection, and the PC unlocks itself as part of the session.
OnePlus announced the rollout in a community post this week, and the update is going out in stages. Phones receive version C20P01(BRB1EX01), while tablets get C20P01(BRB3EX01). The rollout actually began on 27 October 2026, but because it is staged, many owners will not see it until later in the window. OnePlus says the update should reach all eligible devices by around 19 November 2026, so if it has not arrived on your phone yet, the wait should be short.
How to turn it on
The feature is off by default, and it is not something you enable from the main Settings menu. You set it up from inside an active remote connection, which is worth knowing before you go looking for it.
First, make sure your phone or tablet has received the November update — phones should show build C20P01(BRB1EX01) and tablets C20P01(BRB3EX01) — and that the device is running OxygenOS 16 or later. Then start a remote connection to your PC through Device Connect. While the connection is running, a floating ball appears on your phone’s screen. Tap the More icon on that floating ball, tap “Unlock PC”, and switch on “Automatically unlock when connected”.
That is the whole setup. Once the toggle is on, future remote sessions will unlock the PC automatically using the saved password. If you ever want the password prompt back, the same toggle turns the behaviour off again.
There is one important detail in how OnePlus describes the feature: it works during a remote connection. That is different from the proximity unlocking that some people may be imagining — your PC will not unlock itself simply because your OnePlus phone happens to be sitting next to it on the desk. The phone has to be actively connected to the PC in a remote session, and the saved password is what actually opens the lock screen.
Which OnePlus devices get it
The device list is one of the more generous parts of this update. OnePlus is not limiting automatic PC unlocking to its latest flagships. The feature is listed for OxygenOS 16 devices across the following models:
- OnePlus Open
- OnePlus 15 series
- OnePlus 13 series
- OnePlus 12 series
- OnePlus 11 series
- OnePlus 10 Pro
- OnePlus Nord 6
- OnePlus Nord CE6 series
- OnePlus Nord 5
- OnePlus Nord CE5
- OnePlus Nord 4
- OnePlus Nord CE4 series
- OnePlus Nord 3
- OnePlus N6x
- OnePlus Pad 4, OnePlus Pad 3, OnePlus Pad 2 and OnePlus Pad
- OnePlus Pad Go 2
That covers flagships going back to the OnePlus 10 Pro, a wide range of Nord phones, and the whole OnePlus Pad tablet family — including the Pad Go 2. The key requirement is the software, not the hardware generation: the device must be on OxygenOS 16 or later, and it must have received the November update. OnePlus notes that availability can still depend on the individual device’s capabilities, so the full list is the rollout plan rather than a guarantee for every single unit on day one.
There is also a regional catch worth knowing about. The rollout covers India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and selected European and Middle Eastern markets. North America is not included in this particular release, because OnePlus uses a different regional release strategy there, and no alternative date has been announced for that region. If you are in North America, the feature may simply not appear with this update.
The ColorOS 17 question
OnePlus devices do not all run the same software. Some OnePlus phones — including the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 13 series — run ColorOS 17, which is based on Android 17, rather than OxygenOS 16. Those devices are getting their own November update too, and this is where the reporting gets a little tangled.
Android Authority reports that the automatic PC unlock feature will not be part of the ColorOS November rollout, with those devices instead getting an improved translation experience. PhoneArena, meanwhile, reports that the feature is also part of the November ColorOS 17 update for the OnePlus 15 and 13 series. The two accounts conflict, so ColorOS owners should treat PC unlocking as unconfirmed for their devices until the update actually lands and the setting either appears or does not.
What is not in dispute is the other half of the ColorOS update. The Translate app is getting an upgrade that shows more detail about specific words, including key grammar points and example sentences, and promises more accurate and natural results for whole sentences and phrases.
The security trade-off you should think about
Automatic unlocking is convenient, but it is worth pausing on how it works. The feature unlocks your PC using a password saved on your phone. That means the security of your computer’s lock screen becomes tied to the security of your phone. If someone has your unlocked phone, they could in principle use it to open your PC during a remote session.
That is not a reason to avoid the feature — it is the same kind of trade-off that every automatic unlock system makes. Apple’s ecosystem works the same way: an Apple Watch can unlock a Mac, and the watch is only as secure as the wrist it sits on. The sensible approach is the obvious one: keep a strong lock on your phone, whether that is a fingerprint, face unlock or a good PIN, and only enable automatic PC unlocking if you are comfortable with the phone acting as a key to your computer.
It is also worth remembering that the setting is entirely optional and off by default. If you only connect to your PC occasionally, or you share your phone with family members, leaving the toggle off costs you nothing more than typing a password now and then.
Why this matters beyond OnePlus
Phone-to-PC integration has been one of the quiet battlegrounds in tech for years. Microsoft has been building it out through Windows features like the Mobile devices tile, which lets users toggle Do Not Disturb, adjust their phone’s volume, or make a misplaced phone play a sound from the PC. Apple has the most polished version of the idea, with the Apple Watch unlocking a Mac and the iPhone unlocking the watch.
The timing is interesting too. The feature arrives in the same month as the OnePlus 15’s global launch and the wider Android 17 rollout, when OnePlus is pushing software as a selling point. Automatic PC unlocking will not sell phones on its own, but for OnePlus owners who also use a Windows PC, it is the sort of small, daily convenience that makes an ecosystem feel considered.
The bottom line
OnePlus’s November update brings automatic PC unlocking to a wide range of OxygenOS 16 phones and tablets. If your device is on the list, the update has reached you, and you are in a covered region, you can turn on “Automatically unlock when connected” from the floating ball during a remote session — and your PC will unlock itself from then on. The rollout started on 27 October 2026 and should reach all eligible devices by around 19 November 2026.
Check your update first: phones need build C20P01(BRB1EX01), tablets C20P01(BRB3EX01), and the device must be running OxygenOS 16 or later. North American owners will have to wait, because this release does not cover that region, and ColorOS 17 owners should watch for the update itself before assuming the PC unlock feature is included. For everyone else on the list, the password prompt at the PC lock screen may soon be a thing of the past.
FAQs
Q1: What is OnePlus’s automatic PC unlock feature?
Automatic PC unlock is a new OxygenOS 16 feature called “Automatically unlock when connected”. It lets your OnePlus phone or tablet unlock your PC automatically while the PC is remotely connected to your phone, using a saved password, so you do not have to type your password at the lock screen during a remote session.
Q2: Which OnePlus devices can auto-unlock a PC?
The feature is listed for OxygenOS 16 devices including the OnePlus Open, the OnePlus 15, 13, 12 and 11 series, the OnePlus 10 Pro, the Nord 6, Nord CE6 series, Nord 5, Nord CE5, Nord 4, Nord CE4 series, Nord 3 and N6x, plus the OnePlus Pad 4, Pad 3, Pad 2, Pad and Pad Go 2 tablets. The device must be on OxygenOS 16 or later and have the November update installed.
Q3: How do I turn on automatic PC unlock on my OnePlus phone?
Start a remote connection to your PC through Device Connect, then tap the More icon on the floating ball that appears during the connection. Tap “Unlock PC” and switch on “Automatically unlock when connected”. The setting is off by default and must be enabled manually.
Q4: When will the OnePlus November update reach my phone?
OnePlus started the staged rollout on 27 October 2026 and expects it to reach all eligible devices by around 19 November 2026. Phones receive version C20P01(BRB1EX01) and tablets receive C20P01(BRB3EX01). If it has not arrived yet, it should appear within that window.
Q5: Does automatic PC unlock work if my phone is just near my PC?
No. This is not a proximity unlock. Your PC only unlocks while it is actively remotely connected to your OnePlus phone or tablet through Device Connect, using a saved password. Simply having the phone nearby does not unlock the PC. North America is also excluded from this particular rollout, and availability for ColorOS 17 devices is unconfirmed, with reports differing on whether the feature is included there.
Internal links
- OnePlus 15 Goes Global: 7,300mAh Battery, 120W Charging, $899 Price
- OnePlus Ace 7 Pro Has a Built-In Cooling Fan — and It Just Sustained 185 FPS in a Gaming Test
- OnePlus 12 Gets Stable ColorOS 17 in India — Six Days Early
Sources
Sources: Android Authority, “Your OxygenOS 16 device can now auto-unlock your PC”, November 12, 2026. PhoneArena, “OnePlus phones and tablets can now auto-unlock your PC”, November 12, 2026.
