OnePlus Nord will rely on Google’s calling and messaging apps

OnePlus is still dribbling out details of its sub-$500 Nord ahead of the phone’s July 21st launch, and its latest may be noteworthy if you loathe redundant pre-installed apps. The company has revealed (via 9to5Google) that the Nord will use Google’s phone, Messages apps rather than OnePlus’ own. It’ll come with Duo, too. The phone maker wasn’t specific about the reasons why, but said the Google apps would deliver the “smoothest” experience.

Raw performance shouldn’t be an issue — the Nord will use a Snapdragon 765G that can easily handle a dialer or text chat. This does, however, give Nord owners access to RCS messaging, the deep integration of Duo video chats and a common calling experience. We wouldn’t expect OnePlus to make similar changes elsewhere, but it’s clear the company is willing to use stock apps if it thinks they’ll bring more users into the fold.