Apple has finally shed light on how third-party apps can harness the power of ProMotion display technology, allowing them to take full advantage of the 120Hz refresh rates that have been tantalizingly out of reach until now. It turns out that developers need only add a simple entry to their app's plist file and fix a pesky Core Animation bug to unlock the full potential of ProMotion.
The confusion surrounding ProMotion began when developers discovered that their apps weren't currently able to utilize the 120Hz refresh rates for all animations. Was it a battery life-saving measure or simply a bug? Apple has now clarified that third-party apps can indeed take advantage of the higher refresh rates, but only if they opt-in by adding a specific entry to their app's plist file.
This opt-in process is designed to ensure that only those apps that will truly benefit from ProMotion's technology are able to optimize battery life on iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max devices. Standard UI animations in all third-party apps, however, will automatically get the benefits of the higher and lower frame rates available with ProMotion without requiring any changes from developers.
But what about those pesky Core Animation bugs? Apple has promised that an upcoming software update will iron out these issues, ensuring a seamless experience for users. As it stands, standard UI animations within third-party apps already work smoothly with ProMotion display technology, putting them on par with Apple's own apps.
The current limitation means that some interactions can be noticeably different, like scrolling through Twitter on an iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max. While the scrolling experience is silky smooth, other animations that haven't been updated to 120Hz are stuck at 60Hz, making for a less-than-smooth experience. This will change as developers adopt full support for the ProMotion feature in the future.
So what exactly is ProMotion display technology? In short, it's an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 10Hz to 120Hz that adjusts based on what's on the screen to preserve battery life. The iPhone's refresh rate shifts seamlessly between these rates to optimize power consumption and performance. With this tech available on iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and iPad Pro models, users can expect a more immersive experience.
Update: Apple has since shared documentation that provides developers with the key they need to add to an app's Info.plist file to enable the full range of refresh rates for custom animations.