Smartphone maker Vivo has been doing plenty of things right in its quest to improve its market share across countries, particularly India. The OEM has been India’s leading smartphone brand for six consecutive quarters with a 19 percent share in Q2 2025, as per IDC’s quarterly report from August. Vivo’s focus on offering value-for-money products, particularly with its V-series, has played a key role in the brand’s performance. Over the years, the company has focused keenly on its hardware, introducing the acclaimed Zeiss camera setup, previously exclusive to the flagship X series, to the sub-flagship V-series.
Moving to the software side of things, Vivo is now taking the bold step of phasing out its OG Android skin, Funtouch OS, and replacing it with its China-exclusive Origin OS. The latest version, OriginOS 6, is slated to launch in China on October 10th and globally on October 15th, and will be gradually rolled out in India and other markets as Funtouch fades into the background.
So what exactly can we expect from OriginOS in India and other global markets, and will Funtouch be missed? When Funtouch made its debut in 2013, it was labelled “cartoonish” and “trying too hard to be iOS.” However, over the years, especially after OriginOS launched as a China-exclusive skin in 2020, perception changed, as did the skin. It evolved from being gimmicky to neat and modern as it incorporated Google’s Material You elements.
The current version running on most iQOO and Vivo devices, Funtouch OS 15, started rolling out in October 2024. Although users praised it for being smoother than previous versions, bloatware, performance issues, a lack of customisation, and inconsistencies in UI design were reported. Compared to other Android skins like Samsung’s One UI, OnePlus’ OxygenOS, and OPPO’s ColorOS, users feel that Funtouch OS 15 lacks polish, finer customisations, smoother animations, and more elegant widget options. These are the gaps OriginOS 6 hopes to fill.
Based on the preview available for the Vivo X200 and iQOO 13, as well as teasers from the brand, OriginOS 6 brings a more modern, faster, and fluid UI with heavy personalisation and AI features.
Vivo showcased a brand new home screen on Weibo, featuring a translucent design with a glass-like appearance. Where have you heard that before? Yes, very Liquid Glass-like from iOS 26. The new lock screens will also allow for One UI 8-like customisation: users will be able to move the clock freely anywhere on the screen. According to Vivo, the updated lock screen transparency creates a faint drop shadow that makes the text blend in with the interface organically. It is also anticipated that OriginOS 6 will bring more customisation options to Quick Settings, including tile size adjustments.
While OriginOS 6’s Liquid Glass design feels inspired by iOS 26, it remains to be seen if Vivo can make it feel truly its own rather than just a copy.
A recent teaser from the brand suggested fast and smoother animations. Vivo has claimed that apps open 11 percent faster and are 57 percent more responsive with changes to OriginOS and Android’s frameworks.
Smooth at Origin.
— OriginOS (@OriginOS_Global) October 2, 2025
Put your reflexes to the test.#OriginOS6 responds with seamless fluidity, keeping pace with you! pic.twitter.com/sulRSq0ns1
To make your home screen look cleaner and provide more screen real estate, there will be a notification and widget stacking option. This feature was spotted in the OxygenOS 15 beta versions and could be seen in OxygenOS 16.
Vivo’s inspirations from Apple don’t end with Liquid Glass, as their version of the Dynamic Island, which they call “Atomic Island”, was released earlier. With OriginOS 16, Atomic Island is intended to become more dynamic (no pun there), showing intuitive actions based on the app that you are using it with.
In a Weibo post, the company provided a quick overview of its cross-ecosystem features, though it hasn’t yet gone into detail about them. OriginOS 6 is anticipated to provide interoperability between devices, much like HyperOS 3, which allowed integration of Xiaomi devices with Apple’s ecosystem. Vivo users could possibly use iPads as secondary screens and sync notes and media. A bunch of AI features, especially with regard to media are also expected. We know that Vivo could provide the object eraser option for Live Photos.
Vivo has been partially conservative in its revelations about OriginOS 6, teasing enough for users to be curious and concealing enough for them to wait for the grand reveal. Vivo’s flagship X300 series and the iQOO 15 could be the first phones to come with OriginOS 6 out of the box globally and in India, and the update would be available to most iQOO and Vivo phones launched within the last 2-3 years (based on their software support promise). The expansion of OriginOS 6 outside of China reflects Vivo’s strategic goal to establish a more unified and innovative user experience across global markets.
If you currently own a Vivo or iQOO device running Funtouch OS 15, the OriginOS 6 update should bring smoother performance, more customisation, and AI-powered features. For those considering a new Vivo phone, models like the X300 series or iQOO 15, which will come with OriginOS 6 pre-installed, may offer a more modern and responsive experience compared to older devices. Devices older than three years may not get the complete OriginOS 6 experience, so buyers should check Vivo’s software support list before upgrading.
