14 DAY TRIAL // As Android P is approaching final release, Google published today guidelines on how the Linux-based mobile operating system will support Android smartphones with display cutouts a.k.a. notches.
Android P is the next major version of the popular mobile operating system build on top of the Linux kernel, due for release next month. It will bring lots of new features and enhancements, but one of its most important new features is support for devices that have one or more display cutouts or more popularly known as a notch.
In 2018 alone there were numerous Android smartphone manufacturers that adopted the notch for their latest devices or flagships, and while Android 8 Oreo wasn't built with support for display cutouts, Android P will support most notch shapes. However, Google now says that Android P will only work on devices with one or two notches.
"These striking displays present a great opportunity for you to showcase your app. They also mean it's more important than ever to make sure your app provides a consistently great experience across devices with one or two display cutouts, as well as devices with 18:9 and larger aspect ratios," said Megan Potoski, Product Manager, Android System UI at Google.
The road to full-screen edge-to-edge screens is through notches
Wheather we like them or not, display notches are already here and will stay a while until smartphone manufacturers find a better way to give us the long-anticipated full-screen edge-to-edge screens. 2018 is the year of the display notch on smartphones, and while iOS already supports it on the iPhone X, Android P is the first Android release to support the wide variety of display notches out there.
Google's latest support document provides Android application developers with guidance on how prepare their apps to be compatible with the numerous sizes and shapes of display cutouts on Android smartphones, as well as how to take advantage of the cutout area of the notch. To learn more about how Android P will support notches, read the blog announcement.
