A fair amount of OnePlus phones have displays that run at 120Hz. This is something that people like, but there are some caveats. The software has a list of certain apps that can use the full 120Hz. For other apps, it knocks the refresh rate down to 60Hz. This makes sense, as 120Hz isn’t practical for all apps. If you’re reading an ebook, there’s no need for the screen to be refreshing 120 times a second. However, there were workarounds that lifted this 60Hz restriction. People could force the refresh rate to jump back up to the full 120Hz.
But, OxygenOS is knocking those apps back down to 60Hz
One aforementioned workaround came in the form of an app called AutoHz. This app was responsible for forcing the refresh rate up. There was another app that could change certain system settings to allow for maximum refresh rate. However, an unfortunate side-effect of the marriage with ColorOS is the fact that these workarounds no longer work. OxygenOS uses ColorOS as a foundation, and the latter made some changes. These changes are blocking the apps from changing the refresh rate. This upset a lot of people, but the developer for AutoHz told Android Police that they might be able to restore the functionality with a future update.
Not many people like having the company automatically drop the refresh rate
We all get why companies have a leash on the refresh rate of their phones. It’s easy to just leave the display at the max refresh rate at all times. That drains the battery faster, and some people might be confused as to why their battery is draining faster. They’d then go on to blame the company. However, the refresh rate is one of those features that people turn on at their own risk. It’s their responsibility to learn about the refresh rate, how it affects the battery, and how to adjust it. It’s like having the screen brightness at 100% at all times; it’s something that the user should be able to police themselves. Not many people like it when a company blocks or subdues features based on what it thinks is best.
