OnePlus is now rolling out a new update for the recently launched OnePlus 15, which brings with it the usual performance improvements and bug fixes. However, there is one change you won’t see in the update log, which we think is probably the most important.
Starting with version 16.0.1.305, OnePlus 15 users will be able to access the full 165Hz the display is capable of in three additional apps. This includes WhatsApp, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Previously, this refresh rate was only accessible on a handful of games, with everything else clocked out at 120Hz.
However, there is a catch. Aside from the fact that it’s only available in these three apps, you also need to enable developer options to access this feature, because that’s where it’s buried. Although there is no danger in activating developer mode and the procedure for doing so is not complicated, it can cause issues with some apps, usually those related to banks, and they may refuse to work until this mode is disabled.
Moreover, the way this feature is implemented is also strange. Once this mode is enabled you don’t get a dynamic refresh rate in these apps, and the display stays pinned at 165Hz instead of dropping to 1Hz when there’s no activity.
OnePlus 15 5G
It’s not clear why OnePlus opted for something more complicated like this. The company could have easily provided an option to enable the full 165Hz in the screen refresh rate setting within the display and brightness menu, which is so hidden that most users still don’t know it’s there. Anyone going down there will already know what they’re getting at with a high refresh rate (and the phone may just show a warning as it happens). And you could also maintain a dynamic refresh rate that way.
Why not just use this menu, OnePlus?
There’s also something to be said for making your phone an advertising feature. If a feature is important enough to be marketed to everyone then it should also be available to everyone by default, not through select apps and buried in arcane settings.
Apart from the refresh rate feature, the update also brings with it the following changes:
Version 16.0.1.305 is now rolling out to OnePlus 15 units in India, and should be available in other regions soon.
