We’re already big fans of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL based on some hands-on time, but there’s no getting around some of Google’s design choices. The most polarizing aspect of the Pixel 3 XL is its massive notch, and many people aren’t fans of it. Luckily, Google is apparently adding an option to hide the Pixel 3 XL notch. Google has been responding to many Pixel 3 questions on its official “Made By Google” Twitter account, many of which revolve around the Pixel 3 XL notch. According to one tweet, Pixel 3 XL owners will be able to hide the notch through software, just like many other OEMs offer. In previous leaks and hands-on posts regarding the Pixel 3 XL, many questioned whether or not Google would make this option available. Some apps, such as the Camera app, hide the notch with a black status bar, but it’s been widely unclear if a system-wide option would be available. According to Google’s tweet, it seems that this would be the case. However, this feature isn’t quite user-facing at the moment. Instead, the option is still buried in the developer options. As we were able to note in our hands-on time with the device, it’s in the same location that users were able to simulate a notch in Pie’s preview builds. In its current state, this “feature” actually only lets users black out the status bar entirely, as seen below. The time and status icons move down on the display, leaving the portions surrounding the notch as a sort of artificial bezel. Hopefully, this is something Google can further improve on this with updates. Sadly, it doesn’t look like they will. Shame. Notch on, notch off. Current Android P developer option, which isn't new. Not sure yet if the option Google has confirmed is this, or some kind of user-facing setting that will put time/date/notifs up there. pic.twitter.com/4cpebmUoYq — Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) October 10, 2018 More on Google Pixel 3: Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:<doc-sep>Notch haters of the world certainly had one more thing to complain about yesterday, as Google confirmed the XL version of the new Pixel 3 would include a cutout at the top of the screen to accommodate the phone’s two front-facing cameras and sensors. But in a tweet yesterday, the Made by Google account noted that the notch could be hidden if you “prefer a more traditional smartphone look.” Advertisement Replying to Twitter user @mo7ammad_uj’s question about hiding the Pixel 3 XL’s notch—as competing devices like the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 allow—Google’s account points out that it is indeed an option in Android Pie, although one currently only available inside a hidden Developer Options page. The option will certainly make some potential Pixel 3 buyers happy, and we’ve reached out to Google to find out if the disappearing act will eventually be made more readily available to consumers, but the phone’s camera lenses and speakers up there aren’t really going anywhere. Instead, with the option turned on, the small sections of screen on either side of the notch simply get blacked out, creating a large bar that runs all the way across the top of the display. Whether those areas will always be lost screen real estate, or could one day be used to show status icons, is unclear. But users testing the developer option have found Android Pie ’s clock and other icons simply pushed down and placed below the added black bar. [Twitter via Engadget]<doc-sep>There are a lot of good things to say about Google’s new Pixel 3 XL smartphone, but there’s also been a lot of blowback due to the size of the notch at the top of the phone. For those who don’t know what a notch is, it’s the top part of the display that houses the front-facing camera and other sensors. In a push to create edge-to-edge screens with minimal bezels, notches are one way of maximizing screen real estate, and it’s a method Apple has pursued with its iPhone X and XS range. How do you feel about the notch on @Google's #Pixel3XL? See how we feel–> https://t.co/jpyf5V2PlR — Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) October 10, 2018 Notches are divisive. Some believe it’s a design flaw that disrupts the user experience, while others don’t mind it or don’t care. We’re not fans, but we’ve grown accustomed to seeing them on our phones and don’t mind them much. However, the notch on the Pixel 3 XL is one of the ugliest we’ve seen to date. It cuts deep into the display, making it distracting, and there’s a lot of unused space taken up by the status bar. Thankfully, there are a few ways to get around the notch on the Pixel 3 XL, while still enjoying a fluid Android experience from Google. We’ve rounded them up. Option 1: Get the smaller Google Pixel 3 While you might prefer the larger size of the Pixel 3 XL, if you’re not married to a big-phone experience, the Google Pixel 3 is just as good in almost every way. You get the same camera tech, same internal hardware, and same software experience. The only differences between the two are the lack of a notch on the Pixel 3, the slightly smaller screen (5.5 inches as opposed to the XL’s 6.3-inch screen), and a smaller battery (though with the smaller screen, battery life will likely end up being the same). Sure, there are thicker bezels on the top and bottom that don’t make it look as contemporary as other phones, but this is your best bet if you hate the notch but want a phone with the Google experience. The Pixel 3 is also $100 cheaper than the Pixel 3 XL, so you’ll save some cash along the way. Option 2: Hide the notch Can’t do without the big screen? There is a way to hide the notch, but we don’t recommend this method. It’s built into the phone’s developer settings, but there’s a chance Google may make it an option in the standard Settings menu. Follow these instructions to hide the notch: Open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap on System. Tap About Phone. Scroll down and tap Build number seven times until you get a message saying that “you are now a developer.” Head back to the main Settings page and type “notch” in the search bar. Tap on the result called Display cutout. (Or go to Settings > System > Developer options > and scroll down until you see Display cutout.) Select Hide. For people who prefer a more traditional smartphone look, we’ve added an option to hide the display cutout (the notch). — Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 9, 2018 Your Pixel 3 XL should now feature a black bar at the top, hiding the notch and replacing it with what looks like a somewhat large bezel. The big disadvantage here is that you lose more display real estate, since the status bar has moved lower. However, it does a convincing job of making it look like the phone has no notch. Option 3: Use a third-party app like Nacho Notch Nacho Notch, a third-party app on the Google Play Store, was specifically built to make notches a little more bearable for those who can’t stand them. It hides the notch, but it also makes sure the display real estate around the notch doesn’t go to waste. Unlike the built-in Android method, Nacho Notch leaves the status bar on the sides of the notch. That means your notification icons and system tray information stay around the notch at the top, but you still get black bars that mask the look. It’s an elegant solution. Nacho Notch allows you to quickly toggle the feature on and off because it’s a quick settings tile in the notification drawer. You can even set the app to round the corners on the display, making it look a lot more natural on a device like the Google Pixel 3 XL. There is one downside here — the feature doesn’t work on the lock screen, so you won’t be able to hide the notch there. Nacho Notch is a free app available in the Google Play Store. Option 4: Buy a Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL If you were impressed by the features Google showed off, but don’t necessarily feel like dropping $900 to buy the latest flagship phone, then perhaps it’s worth going for a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL instead. The phones are still up on the Google Store with some small discounts, or you may be able to purchase them from other retailers for even lower prices. The Pixel 2 is set to get many of the stand-out features announced alongside the Pixel 3, such as “Call Screening,” which uses Google Assistant to verify calls from numbers you don’t know; Google Duplex, which will let you make restaurant reservations with Google Assistant; and Night Sight, which uses artificial intelligence to dramatically improve low-light photos. Editors' Recommendations<doc-sep>
After weeks of leaks, Google officially announced the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones yesterday, but one part of the updated device isn’t sitting well with users: the giant camera notch on the front of the XL variant. Fortunately, for the notch-averse out there, it seems that Google will offer an option to hide the notch by blacking out the entire top portion of the display, via Gizmodo. For people who prefer a more traditional smartphone look, we’ve added an option to hide the display cutout (the notch). — Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 9, 2018 It’s an option we’ve seen offered on a variety of other notched Android phones, including those from LG, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Huawei. But it’s nice to see Google offer the option here, too. As 9to5Google points out, there’s already the ability to black out the notch in the existing Android Pie build hidden in the development menu, which may be what the original Google tweet was referring to. But hopefully the company is adding something a little more user-friendly than digging in developer options for when the Pixel 3 hits stores. You can get an idea of what the Pixel 3 looks like with the nixed notch in 9to5Google managing editor Stephen Hall’s tweet below: Notch on, notch off. Current Android P developer option, which isn't new. Not sure yet if the option Google has confirmed is this, or some kind of user-facing setting that will put time/date/notifs up there. pic.twitter.com/4cpebmUoYq — Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) October 10, 2018 It’s not clear if the no-notch look is better. Android still has to display a menu bar, which it does below the simulated bezel. That means you’ll lose even more space in addition to the larger-than-normal area on top that you’re choosing to black out to hide the larger-than-normal notch. But at least there’s a choice: keep the notch and deal with the giant slab of despair or sacrifice a huge chunk of your screen to get back the bezels you thought you left behind in the name of aesthetics. Which will you choose?