Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Google apparently won’t let Google Maps, Pokemon Go, Waze, and WeChat use the Pixel 4’s “Smooth Display” feature to run at 90Hz, according to an explicit blacklist that XDA Developers’ Mishaal Rahman and 9to5Google found in apparent source code for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.
We haven’t yet been able to test ourselves if these apps are unable to run at 90Hz, but Android Police confirmed that Google Maps and Waze only ran at 60Hz on its Pixel 4.
For Google Maps, Pokémon Go, and Waze, it’s not too surprising that Google may have locked them to a more standard 60Hz. All of those apps are already big battery drainers, since they simultaneously use your phone’s GPS, cellular radio, GPU, and keep the screen on for long periods of time….