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To prioritize a higher refresh rate across your OnePlus phone, open Settings > Display & brightness > Screen refresh rate and choose High. If your phone also offers App-specific refresh rate, set the apps you care about to the highest option shown. This is the strongest built-in configuration, not a guarantee that every app will continuously run at 120 Hz: the available settings depend on the phone and OxygenOS version, and Android, the app, and power-saving states can all affect the active rate.
What does “High” actually change?
High tells the phone to prioritize a higher display refresh rate where the device, app, and current system conditions allow it. OnePlus’s OxygenOS 14.0 User Manual describes higher refresh rates as providing smoother image quality and control, and documents 60 Hz, 90 Hz, and 120 Hz as possible choices. Those are examples from that manual—not a promise that every OnePlus model offers all three. A phone’s panel and software determine the modes actually available on that device.
It helps to separate two terms:
- Refresh rate is how often the display can update, measured in hertz (Hz).
- Frame rate is how many frames an app or game actually produces, usually expressed as frames per second (FPS).
A display set to 120 Hz does not make an app render 120 FPS. The screen can update more often than an app supplies new frames; the setting raises the display’s potential ceiling, but cannot create frames the app does not produce. Android’s display policy also considers an app’s preferred frame rate, active layers, available display modes, and system conditions.
This distinction matters when someone says a phone is “stuck at 60 Hz.” They may be looking at a refresh-rate indicator, an in-game FPS counter, or simply judging how smooth an animation looks. Those are related observations, but they do not measure the same thing. The developer overlay described below reports the active display refresh rate, not the number of new frames an app is rendering.
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How do I enable a high refresh rate for apps?
Use the display-wide setting first, then configure individual apps if your phone exposes that control. This is the built-in OnePlus route for prioritizing high refresh rate; it does not require a purchase, accessory, or separate utility.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Display & brightness.
- Tap Screen refresh rate.
- Choose High, rather than Standard or Auto select.
- Return to the display settings and tap App-specific refresh rate, if it appears.
- Choose an app and select its highest available refresh-rate option. Repeat for each app you want to prioritize.
- Reopen the app and check its behavior. For a game, also inspect its own graphics or frame-rate settings.
The order matters in practice: High sets the overall preference, while App-specific refresh rate is the follow-up place to prioritize individual apps. If the per-app control lists the app you care about, choose the highest option shown for that app. Repeat only for other apps you want to prioritize; selecting a value for one app does not configure every other app.
The exact labels, menu location, and available values can differ by OnePlus model and OxygenOS build. OnePlus’s OxygenOS 14.0 User Manual explicitly cautions that the feature can vary between models and software versions: “This feature may vary across different models and versions. Please refer to the actual device for its final functions and features.” If a menu or choice in these steps is absent, your device may not offer that control under the same name—or at all. The phone’s actual settings are the relevant guide for its available functions.
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For example, the manual’s 60 Hz, 90 Hz, and 120 Hz choices should be treated as possible settings on its documented interface, not as a checklist that every owner should see. If your menu offers fewer choices, select the highest available option rather than assuming that a missing value can be enabled through the menu. If the per-app control is missing, you can still use the phone-wide setting if it is available, but you cannot use that absent control to assign individual preferences.
What is the difference between Standard, Auto select, and High?
These choices balance smoothness, control, and power use differently. Exact behavior can vary by device, but the practical trade-offs are:
| Setting | Practical effect | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Favors the standard, lower refresh-rate behavior and better battery performance, as described by OnePlus. | Everyday use when battery life matters more than maximum smoothness. |
| Auto select | Allows the phone to adapt its choice rather than prioritizing the highest rate at all times. | People who prefer an automatic balance of smoothness and power use. |
| High | Prioritizes a higher refresh rate where supported. App-specific controls, when available, let you prioritize individual apps further. | Scrolling or compatible apps where smoother motion is the priority. |
OnePlus summarizes the benefit this way: “A higher refresh rate gives you a smoother image quality and control.” The trade-off is that higher refresh rates drain the battery faster. Standard is the battery-conscious choice described by OnePlus, while Auto select avoids simply prioritizing the highest rate at all times. High is the option to try when smoothness and control matter more, provided your phone exposes it.
Choosing High is not a universal “force maximum refresh rate for every moment” switch. The panel’s supported modes, the app’s requests, Android’s policies, and power states still matter. An app-specific setting is useful for expressing your preference for that app; it does not guarantee a particular FPS output. In other words, the settings give you more control over the display preference, not control over how many frames an app has been written or configured to render.
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The useful comparison is not simply “which option is fastest?” but “which trade-off do I want?” Choose High for a smoother-feeling interface where the phone and app support it. Choose Standard when conserving battery matters more. Choose Auto select when you want the phone to adapt rather than manually favoring the highest rate. App-specific control makes sense when you want to prioritize particular apps while leaving the broader display behavior to the phone, if your model offers that control.
Why is an app still showing 60 Hz?
First check that High is selected, then inspect that app’s entry under App-specific refresh rate and choose its highest listed option. If the result is still lower, consider the app, the display’s available modes, and the phone’s power state rather than assuming the setting failed.
- Recheck the app’s own entry. If it is listed in App-specific refresh rate, confirm the highest option is selected, then close and reopen the app. If the app is not in the list, the per-app control cannot be used to assign it a preference on that screen.
- Check Battery Saver. Android platform documentation states that Battery Saver restricts refresh rate to 60 Hz or lower. If it is active, that restriction may explain why the screen drops below the selected preference. Check power-saving conditions before repeatedly changing the app’s selection.
- For a game, check its in-game options. A game may have its own graphics or frame-rate setting. Where available, OnePlus Game Assistant also has a separate High Frame Rate control. That game control is distinct from the phone-wide display setting.
- Allow for app and system policy. An app can request a preferred frame rate, but Android chooses among available display configurations according to policy, active layers, and system conditions. Some apps may therefore display below the panel’s maximum.
Also check what the number you are looking at represents. A game’s FPS setting or counter concerns the frames the game renders; the display refresh-rate setting concerns screen updates. They are related, but one does not prove the other. A game can have a high-refresh display available yet render fewer frames, and a display-rate overlay cannot tell you that the game is producing an equal number of frames.
If the issue is specifically a game that seems capped at 60 FPS, use a short checklist: confirm the phone is set to High; check that game’s entry in App-specific refresh rate, if listed; inspect the game’s own frame-rate or graphics options; and look for the Game Assistant High Frame Rate option if your device provides it. Then check the display rate separately with the overlay. These checks address different layers of the problem, so changing only the display-wide option may not change the game’s own frame-rate behavior.
Do not interpret one lower reading as proof that the setting is broken. Android selects among modes based on more than the user preference, including the app’s request, active layers, and system conditions. Battery Saver is a specific documented limit; model and software differences also affect which rates exist. If High and the app preference are already set as desired, the remaining behavior may reflect those limits rather than an omitted step.
How can I check the active display refresh rate?
Android documents a developer overlay that shows the current display refresh rate. To enable it, first make Developer options available on your device, then go to Settings > System > Developer options > Show refresh rate and turn it on. Open the app and watch the displayed value while scrolling or playing an animation.
The overlay verifies the active display refresh rate; it does not establish that the app is rendering the same number of frames per second. The overlay may also show the display switching rates rather than holding the maximum constantly, so observe it during the activity you want to check. Turn it off again in Developer options when you no longer need it.
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For a useful check, look at the overlay while doing the activity that prompted the question. Open the particular app, scroll through a page or watch an animation, and note the display-rate value during that activity. Looking only at the setting label tells you which preference you selected; the overlay gives you a view of the active display rate at that moment. Those checks complement one another, but neither proves that a game or app is producing a matching FPS.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIf the overlay reports a lower value than you expected, revisit the app-specific selection and check whether Battery Saver is on. Also keep the phone’s supported modes and Android policy in mind. The overlay is a verification aid, not an override: it shows what the display is doing and does not force a mode or change app rendering.
Will a high refresh rate use more battery?
It can. OnePlus says higher refresh rates drain the battery faster and describes Standard as an option for better battery performance. There is no single reliable percentage or extra-hours figure for all OnePlus phones: the effect depends on the device and how it is being used, so a fixed battery penalty would be misleading.
If the refresh rate falls unexpectedly, check whether Battery Saver is enabled before changing the app’s setting again. Android’s documented Battery Saver behavior limits refresh rate to 60 Hz or lower. For a battery-first setup, choose Standard or leave the phone on Auto select if that option is available; for smoother motion, use High and accept the potential power trade-off.
That trade-off is a choice, not a promised battery result. The available documentation supports the direction of the effect—higher rates use more power—but not a model-independent estimate in hours or percentage. A claim such as “High costs a fixed number of battery points” would not apply reliably across OnePlus models and usage patterns.
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What if these settings are missing?
OnePlus documents these controls for an OxygenOS 14.0 interface but warns that features vary by model and software version. A missing Screen refresh rate or App-specific refresh rate menu, or a list with fewer choices than 60, 90, and 120 Hz, does not by itself indicate a fault. The model and installed OxygenOS build determine which options the device exposes.
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Use the settings that are actually present on your phone; do not assume another OnePlus model’s menu or maximum applies to yours. If High is available but only particular apps appear in the per-app list, configure the listed apps you want to prioritize. For games, use the game’s own frame-rate settings and the Game Assistant control if your device provides it.
If the menu labels differ, look for the refresh-rate setting under the phone’s display settings rather than expecting every OxygenOS build to reproduce the same names and path. The documented path is Settings > Display & brightness > Screen refresh rate, but OnePlus cautions that functions vary by model and version. If there is no corresponding menu or per-app list, do not assume an external app or accessory can add a display mode that the system does not expose.
A screen protector, cable, hub, or other accessory is not part of the built-in configuration procedure and does not change the Android display policy described here. The documented solution is in the phone’s settings. If your aim is simply to enable the highest supported setting, no purchase is required.
Which setup should I choose?
- Smoother scrolling is the priority: choose High, then set relevant apps to their highest available app-specific rate.
- Battery life is the priority: choose Standard, or Auto select if you want the phone to balance the choice automatically.
- A game remains at a lower FPS: check its in-game frame-rate option and any available Game Assistant High Frame Rate control; High display refresh alone does not promise a matching FPS.
- The screen drops to 60 Hz unexpectedly: check Battery Saver and other power conditions, then verify the active display rate with Android’s Show refresh rate overlay.
For an all-apps request, the closest built-in approach is to select High and then set each relevant app to the highest option in App-specific refresh rate, where available. There is no universal guarantee that every app will remain at the display maximum, because the phone model, OxygenOS version, supported modes, app behavior, Android policy, and power state all affect the result.
Use the overlay when you want to confirm the active display rate, and use a game’s FPS controls or counter to assess its rendered frames. If those numbers differ, remember that refresh rate and frame rate are separate. The settings let you prioritize the display’s capability; they cannot force an app to render additional frames or bypass a documented power restriction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
How do I force 120 Hz on all apps on my OnePlus?
Open Settings > Display & brightness > Screen refresh rate and choose High. Then, if your phone has App-specific refresh rate, set each app you care about to its highest available value. This is the strongest built-in preference, not a guarantee that every app continuously uses 120 Hz; supported modes, apps, Android policy, and power states can affect the active rate.
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No. The OnePlus OxygenOS 14.0 User Manual lists 60, 90, and 120 Hz as possible settings on its documented interface, while warning that features vary by model and software version. Use the highest value your phone actually offers; a setting cannot add a display mode the device does not support.
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Why is my OnePlus stuck at 60 Hz in some apps?
Check that High is selected, inspect the app under App-specific refresh rate, and check whether Battery Saver is active. Android documents Battery Saver as restricting refresh rate to 60 Hz or lower. App requests and Android display policy can also mean an app does not use the panel’s maximum.
Why is my OnePlus game still running at 60 FPS?
A game’s FPS is its rendered frame rate, not the display refresh rate. Check the game’s own graphics or frame-rate setting and, where available, OnePlus Game Assistant’s High Frame Rate control. Setting the display to High does not guarantee the game will render at the same rate.
How do I set app-specific refresh rate on OxygenOS?
Choose High under Settings > Display & brightness > Screen refresh rate, return to the display settings, and open App-specific refresh rate if your phone offers it. Select each app and choose the highest available option. Menus and values vary by model and OxygenOS version.
How can I tell whether the display is actually refreshing at a high rate?
Android documents Settings > System > Developer options > Show refresh rate. Enable the overlay and observe it while using the app. It shows active display refresh rate, not the app’s FPS.
Can I force 120 Hz with an app if the OnePlus setting is missing?
The documented built-in controls are the display refresh-rate menu and, where present, App-specific refresh rate. Supported modes and menus vary by device, so there is no basis to promise that a separate app can override a missing system option.
Does a high refresh rate make videos play at 120 FPS?
No. Selecting High changes the display preference, not the video’s frame rate. Playback depends on the frames in the video and how the app presents them; a high-refresh display cannot manufacture additional source frames.
Will selecting High damage battery life or use a fixed amount of extra power?
OnePlus says higher refresh rates drain the battery faster, but there is no reliable model-independent percentage or extra-hours figure. Standard is described as better for battery performance, while Auto select may balance the choice where available.
The Bottom Line
Choose High under Settings > Display & brightness > Screen refresh rate, then prioritize individual apps through App-specific refresh rate if your phone offers it. This raises the display preference, but does not guarantee 120 Hz or matching FPS in every app; check Battery Saver, app or game settings, and the active refresh-rate overlay when troubleshooting.
