Your iPhone Pro should run at 120Hz, but scrolling looks like 60. ProMotion throttles itself on purpose, and it’s almost always a setting or a limit, not a broken screen. Here’s what holds it back and how to confirm the real rate.
Which iPhones have ProMotion
ProMotion is Apple’s name for a 120Hz adaptive display, and it has shipped only on the Pro line: iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, and the Pro and Pro Max models since. The standard iPhone, Plus, and mini have topped out at a fixed 60Hz. If you’re not on a Pro, 60 is the ceiling and no setting changes that. Check your model’s spec if you’re unsure.
The setting that caps it: Limit Frame Rate
The most common cause is one toggle. Open Settings, then Accessibility, then Motion, and find Limit Frame Rate. When it’s on, your Pro is locked to 60Hz no matter what. People turn it on by accident or inherit it from a restored backup. Switch it off and 120Hz comes back.
Low Power Mode drops you to 60
Low Power Mode caps the display at 60Hz to save battery. Open Settings, then Battery, and switch it off. iOS also turns Low Power Mode on by itself at 20 percent, so a long day can quietly drop your refresh rate by the evening.
Heat and a low battery throttle it too
Run a heavy game like Genshin Impact for half an hour, or export a long 4K clip in Photos, and the phone heats up. iOS lowers the refresh rate to manage the temperature. A nearly empty battery does the same. Both are protective and temporary, and the rate returns once the phone cools or charges.
Apps choose their own rate
A third-party app runs above 60Hz only if its developer opted in. Many apps and games cap themselves at 60 by default. One app stuck at 60 while system UI scrolls at 120 is the app’s own limit, not your display. Judge the real behavior on system screens and in Safari.
A still screen at a low rate is normal
ProMotion is adaptive. It scales down to as low as 1Hz on recent models and back up to 120Hz based on what’s on screen, so a static page sitting at a low rate is the feature working, not failing. You only need 120 when something moves.
How to confirm your real refresh rate
iOS has no built-in 120Hz readout, so judging it by feel is unreliable. Run our phone refresh rate test to see the actual number. Scrolling reads 120 and a still screen steps down? ProMotion is working. If it reads 60 with both settings off, restart the phone. No change after that? Contact Apple Support.