How to
Oneplus offering Free battery replacement Check your Oneplus phone Battery health

Oneplus offering Free battery replacement Check your Oneplus phone Battery health.
OnePlus India is offering a free battery replacement to select models. According to a Reddit user, the company is replacing the batteries of the OnePlus 3, OnePlus 5 series and OnePlus 6 series in India for free. Users will not have to pay a single rupee for the battery. However, the company will charge a nominal labour charge for the battery replacement. This, according to the user, is Rs 473 for the OnePlus 5T. The battery replacement offer is a good opportunity for those whose devices have aged fairly. Over time, the battery health reduces as per the usage, resulting in a faster drain.
OnePlus Free battery replacement
One can get a free battery replacement only if they walk into an official OnePlus store/service center. It is not applied for courier pickup as that might incur extra charges. In case you do not want to risk visiting the store just to check if the free battery replacement is there, you can book it in advance online. However, in that case, you will only be able to get a 50% discount on the cost of the replacement battery.

Most Android smartphones doesn’t offer removable batteries on their smartphones. Even, OnePlus has made it really hard to swap out an older degraded battery for a new one. However, Oneplus does have a diagnostic app that can give users information about the health of their battery.
The app is “OnePlus Diagnostic” with the package name com.oneplus.healthcheck. OnePlus itself has published the app on its Chinese support site.
The app is compatible with both Hydrogen OS and Oxygen OS. With the help of app users can check important battery parameters such as capacity, temperature, charging state, etc. through its clean and clutter-free UI.
Community members of XDA studied the app and gave an insight. The value of the “Battery state” parameter shows the battery wear level. Community members of XDA upon inspecting the app’s code, discovered that the app reads the value from /sys/class/power_supply/bms/battery_health.
In the app “bms” stands for Battery Management System, while this value is reported by a battery fuel gauge IC made by Maxim Integrated. If that value is < 80, the app reports the battery as having a “serious loss” in capacity.

This app is not supported on Oneplus 8 and Oneplus 8 Pro. In order to run this app, users should be running on OxygenOS or HydrogenOS because it requires special privileges to be able to read /sys/class/power_supply/bms/battery_health.
If you have a rooted phone, you can manually check that value by running the following command in a rooted shell or any terminal emulator app running in elevated mode: cat/sys/class/power_supply/bms/battery_health
This app is supported on Oneplus 3/3T, Oneplus 5/5T, Oneplus 6/6T, and Oneplus 7 and 7T series. Users should be running on OxygenOS or HydrogenOS on their respective Oneplus devices.
You can also download the OnePlus Diagnostic through the APK given below:
Download OnePlus Diagnostic from APK Mirror
Download AccBattery application
Source: Reddit / XDA Developers
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AI
Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool Brings a Major Breakthrough in AI Video Generation

Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool is setting a new benchmark in AI-powered video generation by enabling creators to transform any static image into a dynamic, realistic video. Whether the input is a real photograph, an AI-generated image, a sketch, or an illustration, the tool aims to deliver smooth motion, consistent visuals, and better control than previous generations.
Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool: Key Features and Capabilities
Developed by Runway, Gen-4.5 builds on years of research that began with Gen-1, the first publicly available video generation model released two years ago. Since then, Runway has consistently improved its models to offer creators greater flexibility, realism, and predictability in generated videos.
The Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool is designed for creators who want more control over AI-generated motion and visual consistency.
Gen-4.5 is designed to push the boundaries of dynamic action generation and temporal consistency. According to the company, the model introduces significant improvements in both pre-training data efficiency and post-training techniques. These upgrades help the system better understand motion, maintain visual continuity across frames, and respond more accurately to user prompts.
Compared to earlier models, the Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool delivers smoother transitions and more predictable results.
How the Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool Improves AI Video Generation
One of the most notable achievements of Runway Gen-4.5 is its performance score. With 1,247 Elo points, the model currently holds the top position on the Artificial Analysis Text-to-Video benchmark, surpassing all competing video generation models. This score highlights its strength in producing coherent and visually convincing video sequences.

Powered by NVIDIA GPUs
The entire development pipeline of Gen-4.5, from research and pre-training to inference, runs on NVIDIA GPUs. Inference is optimized for NVIDIA Hopper and Blackwell series GPUs, ensuring faster processing and more stable outputs even for complex video generations.
With the Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool, users can experiment with image-based storytelling without complex video editing workflows.
Known Limitations Still Remain
Despite the progress, Runway acknowledges that Gen-4.5 shares some limitations common to current video generation models. These include occasional issues with causal reasoning, object permanence, and a tendency toward “success bias,” where actions succeed more often than they realistically should. However, these challenges are industry-wide and continue to be areas of active research.
These improvements make the Runway Gen-4.5 Image to Video Tool suitable for marketing, filmmaking, and content creation use cases.
Why Gen-4.5 Matters
By combining high benchmark performance, improved controllability, and broad image compatibility, Runway Gen-4.5 positions itself as a powerful tool for creators, filmmakers, and marketers exploring AI-driven video workflows.
Credit: runwayml.com
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Apple
iPhone Reboot Security Explained: 5 Urgent Reasons to Restart Your iPhone Weekly

iPhone reboot security has suddenly become a critical topic for Apple users worldwide after cybersecurity researchers warned of active attacks exploiting newly discovered iOS vulnerabilities. Experts now strongly advise iPhone users to restart their devices at least once a week and update immediately to the latest software to stay protected.
iPhone reboot security has become a serious concern after cybersecurity experts warned Apple users about actively exploited iOS vulnerabilities targeting Safari and other apps.

iPhone Reboot Security: Why Restarting Your Device Matters
Two serious security flaws discovered in Apple’s WebKit engine — the technology that powers Safari and many iOS apps — are now being actively exploited by attackers. According to Malwarebytes, these attacks have so far been highly targeted, affecting diplomats, journalists, and senior executives, but experts warn the threat could soon spread to regular users.
The vulnerabilities were first disclosed in December and remain dangerous for users running outdated versions of iOS. Devices still on older software, particularly iOS 18, are fully exposed to these exploits.

iPhone Reboot Security and the Latest WebKit Vulnerabilities
Many users don’t realize that restarting an iPhone can disrupt certain types of malware. Malwarebytes explains that most high-end spyware runs only in memory and avoids installing permanent components. A simple reboot clears this memory, stopping malicious processes unless the malware has gained persistence.
This advice aligns with recommendations from the U.S. National Security Agency, which suggests restarting smartphones at least once every week as a basic security measure.
How iPhone Reboot Security Protects Against Memory-Resident Malware
Security experts describe updating to iOS 26.2 as a high-priority task. The update patches the WebKit vulnerabilities and introduces advanced protections such as Memory Integrity Enforcement. Despite this, adoption has been slow, largely due to user resistance to Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” design introduced in iOS 26.
As of January 2026, only a small fraction of iPhones are running iOS 26.2, leaving millions of devices unprotected.
How to Fix the Issue
The solution is straightforward. Go to Settings > General > Software Update, install iOS 26.2, and restart your device. Enabling Automatic Updates ensures future security patches are installed promptly. Updating automatically triggers a reboot, offering immediate protection against memory-resident malware.
Apple confirms that iOS 26.2 is available for iPhone 11 and newer models, along with several recent iPad generations. Users who remain on iOS 18 or older versions are strongly urged to upgrade now to avoid serious security risks.
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OxygenOS
ColorOS 16.0.3.501 Anti-Rollback Protection Triggers Permanent Downgrade Lock on OnePlus Devices

ColorOS 16.0.3.501 anti-rollback protection has emerged as a critical issue for advanced Android users, especially those using recent OnePlus flagships. Verified community reports now confirm that this update activates a hardware-level Anti-Rollback Protection (ARB) mechanism that permanently locks the device’s firmware path.

The introduction of ColorOS 16.0.3.501 anti-rollback protection marks a major shift in OnePlus firmware security, especially for users who rely on downgrading or custom ROM installations.

ColorOS 16.0.3.501 Anti-Rollback Protection Explained
With the rollout of ColorOS 16.0.3.501, devices powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship platforms are seeing a permanent security fuse being triggered at the CPU and bootloader level. Once this fuse is blown, the phone updates its internal security index, making it incompatible with any older firmware builds.

This change is not cosmetic or software-based. It is enforced at the hardware level and cannot be reversed.
Devices Confirmed to Be Affected
Current evidence shows that the update impacts OnePlus models using Snapdragon 8 Elite hardware, including the OnePlus 13, OnePlus 13T, and OnePlus 15. Users attempting to revert to older ColorOS builds, OxygenOS versions, or custom ROMs released before this update have reported immediate hard bricks.

In multiple confirmed cases, the only resolution was a full motherboard replacement through an authorized service center.
Why ColorOS 16.0.3.501 Anti-Rollback Protection Blocks Downgrades Permanently
Once ColorOS 16.0.3.501 is installed, downgrading becomes impossible. Flashing any older firmware triggers a hard brick that cannot be fixed using traditional Emergency Download Mode (EDL) methods. Previously used unauthorized 9008 tools, firehose programmers, and Chimera-based solutions no longer function because the security fuse has already been updated.

This also applies to custom ROM users. Any ROM compiled before the new security baseline will fail to boot and permanently disable the device.
OxygenOS Conversion Caveat
Some users have discussed converting from ColorOS 16.0.3.501 to OxygenOS. While flashing may succeed if the base version exactly matches, the device remains permanently locked to this security level. There is no path back to earlier OxygenOS builds once the fuse is triggered.

Potential Impact on Older Flagships
Although this update currently targets Snapdragon 8 Elite devices, there is growing concern that similar anti-rollback enforcement will be introduced to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 models such as the OnePlus 12 in future updates. Users who rely on bootloader unlocking or custom ROMs should approach upcoming ColorOS 16 builds with caution.

Final Advice for OnePlus Users
If you value firmware flexibility, custom ROM support, or downgrade capability, avoid installing ColorOS 16.0.3.501 or any future 16.0.3.5xx builds until long-term community confirmation is available. If your device is already updated, do not attempt to downgrade under any circumstances.
Long-Term Impact of ColorOS 16 Anti-Rollback Protection on OnePlus Users
The introduction of ColorOS 16.0.3.501 anti-rollback protection marks a significant shift in how OnePlus is approaching device security and firmware control. While stronger protection may reduce unauthorized modifications and improve system integrity, it also limits user freedom, which has traditionally attracted power users and developers to the OnePlus ecosystem.
For advanced users, the inability to downgrade firmware removes a key troubleshooting option when updates introduce bugs, performance issues, or compatibility problems. Custom ROM developers may also face longer development cycles, as builds must now strictly align with updated security baselines. This could reduce early ROM availability and limit experimentation on newer devices.
From a consumer perspective, the risk of irreversible damage due to a failed downgrade attempt raises concerns around transparency and communication. Many users rely on community tools and guides, which may quickly become outdated under this new policy. Without clear official warnings, users may unknowingly brick their devices.
As OnePlus continues rolling out ColorOS 16 updates, understanding these restrictions becomes essential. Users should closely follow verified community feedback, official changelogs, and developer discussions before installing major system updates that permanently alter device security behavior.
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