How to install Google Play Store on Chinese OnePlus phones

Here’s how to install the Google Play Store, Play Services and all other Google Apps on your Chinese OnePlus phones. You can install the Play Store and Apps on OnePlus One, 2, 3, 3T and all other upcoming phones.

China has certain restrictions when it comes to operations for software companies within the territories. It is very unfortunate for the Chinese citizens to not to be able to use famous social media platforms and also not being able to make the use of some software and applications. This restriction gets more annoying when the Android OS lands in the scene. Android smartphones in China come with no Google Play Store installed. It means if you own a Chinese Android smartphone, you will have no access to any of the applications and games from the Play Store. For Android, Play Store is the primary source of installing applications and without Google Play Store and Play Store services, an Android device is quite incomplete.

On most of the Android phones in China, you can manually install the Google Play Store using some custom methods. It involves installation of Play Store either through a Google Installer or through a custom ROM. The first option is very easy to follow, the 2nd one can get you stuck at times. As far as the OnePlus One smartphones are concerned, the first option is a no go. The 2nd option works in the form of flashing a stock ROM. Chinese OnePlus One phones run on Hydrogen OS. This specific version of OnePlus Android firmware doesn’t contain anything Google. The same company makes the use of Oxygen OS on all of its smartphones outside China and they all have Play Services, Play Store Play Music etc.

Now here is the catch, you can install this Oxygen OS on your OnePlus Chinese phone and get the Google Apps running on it. Doing this is more than easy. OnePlus doesn’t refrain its users from going ahead with the bootloader unlocking and flashing custom recoveries. OnePlus even has an official guide for doing so. This gives us a clear idea of what to do. All you need is a custom recovery running on your phone and then you need to flash a stock file of Oxygen OS. This will not only run the Google Apps on your phone, it will also bring a whole new OS on your phone.

Before proceeding, backup all your important data like contacts, call logs, text messages and your media content. Follow the procedure carefully to avoid any mishap. Charge your phone well enough before applying the instructions.

Let’s have a look at how to do this now.

How to install Google Play Store on Chinese OnePlus phones

1. Download and install TWRP recovery on your OnePlus phone: TWRP Recovery for OnePlus One | TWRP for OnePlus 2 | TWRP for OnePlus X | TWRP for OnePlus 3 | TWRP for OnePlus 3T.
2. Now download the latest official Oxygen OS from official OnePlus firmwares page.
3. Copy the downloaded firmware file to your OnePlus’s internal or external SD card.
4. Boot your OnePlus phone into TWRP recovery. You can do so by pressing and holding Volume Down + Power Key.
5. In TWRP, tap Install > Locate the OnePlus Oxygen OS firmware file > Swipe to confirm > Flash the file.
6. After flashing the file, reboot your phone.
7. You will have Oxygen OS running on your phone with all the GApps.

That’s all. I hope that you found this method working. This method will not harm your phone or anything. It will simply replace your current Hydrogen OS with Oxygen OS. In case you are facing any issues, reach me out through the comment box below.