Handling Notch on iPhone X, XS, XR, XS Max
bubblin.io
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And for the record I’m not a fanboy. I use Windows at home and boot camp my work laptop to windows as well because I hate MacOS. The iPhone is the only apple product I’ve owned and am open to switching to android if they ever gave me a compelling reason to switch, which they haven’t yet.
For me, it's like living in a room where one of the walls has a weird inset, which makes it more difficult to arrange the furniture.
Or like having a picture frame on the wall that is slightly crooked no matter how many times you try to fix it.
Or maybe it's like having a mole or birthmark, and calling it a beauty mark.
Sure you can live with it and just ignore it, but that wouldn't be my first choice.
However if you are willing to boot camp into Windows, you are probably less likely to care about a notch.
I refuse to buy a botched notched phone.
In addition, in my opinion everything on Android and the devices feels half-baked. Fingerprint sensor? Easy to fool. Face ID thing? Can be fooled with a photo. Sure, the devices cost half of an iPhone, but feature-wise they’re often not as carefully designed.
> it's worth noting that fooling Face ID in this way requires a 3D printer, several hundred dollars worth of materials, physical access to a person's iPhone X, and detailed facial photographs that can be used to reconstruct a person's face. Even then, if the 3D printed mask and the design of the infrared eyes aren't perfect, Face ID will fail after five attempts.
I don’t want to have to configure settings on a micro level per-app. I want sane defaults that respect my privacy at the app level, all the way down to the OS layer. Paired with the Play Store with a much lower barrier to app acceptance, this has proven to be a danger to peoples’ privacy if they aren’t vigilant to vet and check settings of each new app they install.
That being just privacy, I was also tired of micromanaging every setting on my phone. I don’t care to have custom UI widgets, root-level modifications, or especially installing a completely new OS. I know as a software developer these things should be more acceptable, or fun even, but my phone is such a critical piece of my day-to-day, I’d rather pay a premium (to a degree.. looking at you XS Max) for the peace of mind that everything will Just Work every time. I’ve yet to have any real problems with any iPhone I’ve owned.. Android was a different story.
I understand that critical aspect but being faced with an IPhone that is unable to sync mails from the exchange server for several OS versions already is what I'd consider a critical issue and problem. I never had anything like that with the Android or other relevant "not working" issues. I have no idea what people do with their phones to really "break" it.
Edit: I still wonder how people who intentionally switched away from Android take the missing back-button and the continues search for the function within the apps. It's either right or left, called differently every time. Sometimes it's not even there...
Can you clarify this a bit? I don't really understand the problem - I have an Exchange server synced on my iPhone and there are no problems.
The native email app does not sync mails that are being filtered into folders properly. Or let's say: it sometimes does it, sometimes it does not. I just lost any trust into it and drag down every folder to be sure that there isn't a new mail in there. It's a pain. I asked around on the forums and reddit and even though the issue is not new, nobody could help me out. Some pointed out that it surely is an issue with the server but it works flawlessly with the Windows Phone and Android.
2. While Android indeed now gives you okayish controls over privacy settings, this wasn’t the case for many years. In addition, if you set up your device, just count how often you have to tap no/disable/deny vs on iOS. After the third pop up, most people don’t care anymore. Even the damn keyboard calls home.
In case of Samsung, you sometimes can’t use specific features if you don’t agree to everything. Huawei is similar.
3. I don’t trust free apps that have no reasonable pricing model. Because they still have to make money (same is true for iOS apps).
Look, I don’t want to convince anyone. I say: Android gives me an odd feeling whereas iOS doesn’t so much (although I don’t use iCloud files or photos).
2) Well yeah, many years ago many thing where crap. I don't understand your count excample. I have to tap is as many times as I want/many apps I have. You have to do the same for iOS for the few options you get there.
3) I don't know about Samsung or Huawei because I don't have one. I can buy my hardware from a producer I trust or like.
Did you ever ask yourself where that "odd feeling" actually come from? Because complaining about "too many options" (same done above by a different commenter) seems quite odd to me.
And unlike iPhone, no Android phone has any justifiable reason for the notch.
Seriously...?
> without the ecosystem and software support provided by Apple to ensure that the notch works
Well don't know about the "notch" but the immense ecosystem around Android is so far beyond what Apple has that I wouldn't even know where to start. The stupidity of some manufactures to copy that design failure is a different topic but it's defiantly nothing to be proud of. Neither on the Android nor on the Apple side. Mine doesn't have one and I wouldn't buy one because it's just ridiculous...
Yeah. Apart from nokia 8/7 and samsung note9 and s9, every current and upcoming phone (oneplus, pixel, huawei, xaomi, etc.) have the notch.
> Mine doesn't have one and I wouldn't buy one because it's just ridiculous
Manufacturers won't give you an option in the future and the android software support will be flaky at best. Atleast Apple tries to ensure that you have the best possible experience with its design choices. No one in the android ecosystem gives a damn about your experience.
I was questioning the quoted statement.
> Manufacturers won't give you an option in the future
I'm not sure if you really believe that or if you have no idea how big the Android market is. Adding to your exemptions list there is also LG (just one has it), Pixel of course and there is just one Motorola who has it. And those are the brands that came into my mind. I don't even go into the endless others out there on this planet. It looks like a list with models who have it would have been shorter.
I like how you dropped everything else.
But a reason to have an iPhone? If you bought an iPhone 5S when it was released in September 2012, and you still own it, you can download iOS 12 next week.
How many Android phones from even two years ago are still getting OS updates?
Well, obviously not or I wouldn't have problems...
> If you bought an iPhone 5S when it was released in September 2012, and you still own it, you can download iOS 12 next week.
Which would be the first one to get five updates. Everything before that, didn't.
> How many Android phones from even two years ago are still getting OS updates?
I don't know. There are too many. You know, that thing with having a choice and so on.
So anectodally, you have problems but there hasn’t been any wide spread report of Exchange issues on iOS for almost a decade. It couldn’t possible be an issue with your server could it?
Which would be the first one to get five updates. Everything before that, didn't. (correction the 5s was released in 2013)
iPhone 5 - released in 2012, last update July 2017
iPhone 4s - released on September 2011 - last update August 2016.
iPhone 4 - released on June 2010 - Last update June 2014
iPhone 3GS - released June 2009 - last update Feb 2014
I don't know. There are too many. You know, that thing with having a choice and so on.
If you want an Android phone that gets regularly updates after two to three years, there are no choices...
"Anecdotally" Everyone I know and works with me as well as several google results point to the same issue. Anecdotally using the same server with a Windows Phone and Android Phone causes no issues at all. Sooo maaaybe it's not the server?
> years stapeling
Am I supposed to know how many updates there were between those years automatically or how is that related to what I wrote?
> If you want an Android phone that gets regularly updates after two to three years, there are no choices...
Sure there are. You can take the google brands, motorola or I don't know, just put your own OS on it. Or if you are the usual consumer who just wants to have a new phone every x-years you can just buy two for the price of one IPhone. So many possibilities....
What are the Google results of issues. “Everyone you know” is anecdotal....
Am I supposed to know how many updates there were between those years automatically or how is that related to what I wrote?
Well first, seeing that both Apple and Google have released major updates every year since they have developed mobile phone OSs. It’s not too hard to figure out.
Sure there are. You can take the google brands,Motorola
No Google brands have usually had updates for two years tops.
or I don't know, just put your own OS on it.
See how well that works in practice....
Or if you are the usual consumer who just wants to have a new phone every x-years you can just buy two for the price of one IPhone. So many possibilities....
Since an iPhone actually maintains somewhat of a resale value, you still don’t come out ahead by buying a phone every two years. Consumers are holding on to phones longer now that they aren’t being subsidized by the carrier.
Good you cut "and work with" and the part with the other OS out otherwise this discussion might get serious and we don't want that do we?
See, that is another issue. I've been asking around on boards for how to solve the issue since it's so annoying. Either I got no answer or it was something along your lines "It must be your fault because Apple wouldn't make such a mistake". Meanwhile having an issue on Android means that you either already find the solution or you post on one of the dev boards where people are eager to find a solution. Or you just use another app because there is no obnoxious system mail app in it's ridiculous locked in environment.
Android 3&4 have been released 2011 so this doesn't add up here too. But the whole thing here is ridiculous for reasons stated below. I got that initial statement from this IT magazine: https://www.heise.de/mac-and-i/meldung/iOS-12-offenbar-auch-...
> See how well that works in practice....
It works out fantastic I did that on every phone I had and have been doing it for friends and family.
> Since an iPhone actually maintains somewhat of a resale value,
Well as you are reselling already to an audience that is used to overpaying, it doesn't say anything about the actual value. Besides that, if you end up with one of the non supported ones, there is no way to put a different OS on it or is it?
> Consumers are holding on to phones longer now that they aren’t being subsidized by the carrier.
No idea where you're from but over here in Europe carriers still give you phones and the phone market is not dead or something like that. People buy new phones and even if they wouldn't, it wouldn't change anything about the argument I brought up.
Asking What around on boards? What’s the issue?
Android 3&4 have been released 2011 so this doesn't add up here too. But the whole thing here is ridiculous for reasons stated below. I got that initial statement from this IT magazine: https://www.heise.de/mac-and-i/meldung/iOS-12-offenbar-auch-....
Posting a German website on an English speaking forum doesn’t help too mUCB.
PS. since you seem unable to work with google: https://translate.google.de/?hl=de&tab=wT
Perhaps you always keep flashing your device with some random OS fork or build and that hasn't allowed you to observe what others who aren't as savvy as you have to put up with (I get that you could use this exact sentence back in pointing out what you see as deficiencies in iOS, but let's not move the goal posts).
Notch, no home button, no Touch ID is what made me avoid the X and go with the 8. I'll probably keep this phone for a long time.
Yes, the notch introduced unfortunate design headaches, but it maximizes utility given current technology. I think if you took those pixels away, most existing iphone X users would object.
I personally think it's a bad thing, unless you have a specific use case in mind. For 99.99% of use cases, rectangular screens are a pretty good choice.
For example, I don't really have a problem with the way Youtube presents itself on the iPhone X screen in landscape mode. It's not perfect, but nothing is actually breaking. There is some unused screen real estate. There isn't so much a falsehood here as an aversion to a more sophisticated screen filling methodology. If someone were to view YouTube in a screen shaped like a circle, the YouTube developers would have a strong argument that's not a fact of life but an oddball thing to do, and consequently not support it.
Conversely there are legitimate consequences if you make false assumptions about e.g. foreign language encodings, email validation, characters present in human names, etc. These are domains with edge cases that have a huge number of unknown unknowns due to very culturally significant and non-dismissable reasons. You also can't really skimp out on designing for them because doing so could completely break functionality or introduce security vulnerabilities.
It's super long-winded (like many things from gawker) but essentially, the photos are black around the notch specifically to hide it.
I am more concerned about the non-functional but (to me, at least) similarly bothersome design quirk of these iPhones and some other modern phones: rounded corners that mask the display edges. I worry rounded corners may not disappear any time soon because there's little technical reason for them to exist; the rounded corners are aesthetic. For me, I prefer the appearance of phones with shorter corner radii—sharper lines—such as the Razer. But the popular preference for large-radii corners is undeniable (e.g., Twitter's conversion from square to circular avatars).
I just want a plain rectangular display, thank you.
I think it will go away eventually, but then I said that about the camera bump too (another terrible design choice).
Isn't the notch in landscape mode similar to how we used to have these feedback buttons on the left or right of the screen with absolute positioning? Uservoice and GetSatisfaction come to mind.
I dont think they are saying that, just that the infinite contrast ratio of OLED allows you to hide the black pixels very well.
[1]: https://www.phonearena.com/news/First-notch-phone-Sharp-not-...
The WebKit folks had a great blog post on how to do all of this and use the new env variable in CSS. It was proprietary back then, but I believe it's on the standards track now Android is copying the notch.
https://webkit.org/blog/7929/designing-websites-for-iphone-x...
> Didn't last very long at all.
They introduced it with iPhone 6S, so even if it's not on a single model next year (which is doubtful), it would have been a 4+ year feature
Absolutely, it's a stunningly beautiful phone!
I sense that the newly announced iPhones have a smaller notch compared to the iPhone X. If that is true then we can assume that Apple is working on reducing the notch height to a point where it goes seamless with the frame and then we'll have the entire glass surface to play on.
Does Samsung have similar ways to help you prevent displaying content on the distorted sides of an Edge screen?
I'm fairly sure that this is the default and only if you double tap on the video to zoom in would it then fill the screen and make the notch noticeable.
This honestly looks worse than having white margins in my opinion. While the white margins aren't ideal, they are still a better visual solution than fully extending the page to the left and right. Content should be given enough space as to not visually interact with the rounded corners, otherwise it reflects poorly on the site designer, as if they didn't account for it. So, forcing the page within the confines of the non-rounded area is a better global solution that offers better visual consistency. That said, I think either a blacking out the margin would be more visually appealing and not draw as much attention to the actual notch area, but forcing margins by default is the right call.
Is this also supported on all these new Android phones with notches?
Apple could have used the space around the notch for some browser UI for example and spared us the extra effort to make our websites look good (or even be functional) with that notch. At the end of the day, it's their customers that are benefiting from a good/better browsing experience.
Also maybe there's an argument to be made about this being time invested in a feature (notch support that the OEMs were already implementing) rather than wasted.