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iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max limit third-party app animations to 60Hz

By Anam Hamid

Published: Sep 24, 2021, 5:12 PM

17comments

iOS Apple

iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max limit third-party app animations to 60Hz

Apple has finally introduced high refresh rate displays this year on its smartphones but the feature, dubbed ProMotion by the company, is only available on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. The tech titan is still being a little stingy it seems, as reports are emerging that third-party apps are still limited to 60Hz.

Most older conventional smartphones have a 60Hz screen, which means the display is updated 60 times per second. Android smartphone makers, including OnePlus and Samsung, embraced the tech much earlier than Apple, and it's not uncommon to see midrange Android phones with a refresh rate above 60Hz now.

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max flaunt what Apple calls a Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion and support an adaptive refresh rate that can go as high as 120Hz for a smoother, and more fluid and responsive experience, and can drop to 10Hz when a high refresh rate is not needed.

A couple of developers who got their hands on the phones today have noticed that iOS 15.0 mostly limits third-party apps to 60Hz, reports 9to5Mac. The refresh rate only increases during scrolling and full-screen transitions. Other animations and custom elements cannot take advantage of the higher refresh rate and this only applies to third-party apps. That doesn't just sound discriminatory, but also leads to experience disparity.

The iPad Pro, which got a 120Hz screen in 2017, doesn't apply the same limits to third-party apps.

Yeah, seems to be the case. Sample project where I move a box across the screen with UIView.animate only gets 60Hz/FPS on iPhone 13 Pro (same as iPhone 11), but UIScrollView gets 120Hz/FPS.

(See attached, from Xcode Instruments, 1/60 fps = 16.6, 1/120 fps = 8.3)

Wonder why. pic.twitter.com/2nc9GkamDe
— Christian Selig (@ChristianSelig) September 24, 2021

Apple may have taken this approach to preserve battery life, but that's just a theory. There is also a small possibility that this is a bug. A workaround apparently exists but it remains to be seen if Apple will approve it.

There is a workaround for the 60fps frame rate cap on iPhone 13 Pro. Set CADisableMinimumFrameDurationOnPhone to true in your Info.plist.https://t.co/LO5Cvbr4bq pic.twitter.com/dq4RTamAil
— James Thomson (@jamesthomson) September 24, 2021

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max limit third-party app animations to 60Hz

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