Apple Approves 'Notch Remover' App for iPhone X

[macs4nw]

Wow...it actually looks so much better without the notch....who knew?

(thats right...everyone)

I've never understood all the hatred towards the notch. It's functional rather than whimsical, and it's definitely distinctive.

As evidenced by many of the recent comments about the notch (and as I had expected), many original doubters have become so used to it so fast, they hardly notice it's presence anymore, and unless all those functionalities currently in the notch could be miniaturized enough to fit between the edge of the screen and the stainless steel surround, the notch is here to stay for a while.

Personally, I prefer the notch over the black bar.

 

[RemE]

Notch? what notch?

It's simple, you need space for the speaker, front facing camera etc. on all phones period. Apple did a fine job in fitting all that they did in that thin space. They could have easily just made the bezel go straight across like everyone else has always done, and if they had it's easily one of the thinnest.

I appreciate the extra effort spent in using that small added space to move the status icons up into what would have been wasted space. Had they just gone with a thin bezel, the status bar would have to be below that, taking up more screen space. I do agree that sometimes the "ears" can be distracting and that user config choices on how the ears are filled would be nice, as well as what info is shown in them (I'd like a batt% choice for example).

 

[linkgx1]

Once again, once Apple comes up with an ingenious way to remove the notch, suddenly iPhone Y is the thing and people can't understand why someone would still use a phone with the notch.

 

[avanpelt]

Pixels degrade when used. When an area is blacked out and not used, then those pixels aren’t degrading like the rest of the pixels are. This means that when you finally use that area, that area will be brighter than the rest of the screen as those pixels were used significantly less.

How soon does this degradation occur, on average, when a screen is on for six hours per day?

 

[PickUrPoison]

<snip>

Hard to believe this notch is something Apple really would want to use to make their devices stick out if it takes getting used to.

Yet that’s exactly what they did. They could have not had the ears, and made the notch a full width bezel.

People who actually have a X say they got used to it quickly, like in a matter of minutes. Apple knew this from their testing and went with the ears.
[doublepost=1510610105][/doublepost]

Once again, once Apple comes up with an ingenious way to remove the notch, suddenly iPhone Y is the thing and people can't understand why someone would still use a phone with the notch.

4 years from now, when people are tired of it and MacRumors complainers are droning on about the 2020 iPhone XSSS.

 

[Act3]

People who actually have a X say they got used to it quickly, like in a matter of minutes. Apple knew this from their testing and went with the ears.

So the notch is a good selling point to get non iPhone users to want one ?

 

[PickUrPoison]

So the notch is a good selling point to get non iPhone users to want one ?

Well it’s not a negative, at least Apple doesn’t think so. I don’t think android users will switch to iPhone X because of the notch, if that’s what you mean. FaceID, display, CPU, camera, TrueDepth, ARkit, apps, privacy, security, OS and ecosystem are good selling points though.

 

[Krevnik]

Well it’s not a negative, at least Apple doesn’t think so.

Agreed. The notch is a neutral thing, IMO. It's not a selling point, nor is it a deal breaker.

I see it as a decent compromise between two design goals with current tech (and manufacturing):
1) Needing to actually put sensors/etc into the front of the phone.
2) Wanting the display to take up the whole front so it feels "full".

It's different than the S8s approach, which is also valid. But it's better than the approach of having the thin bezel on only one side, from an aesthetic point of view.

Now, if you think Apple's aesthetic or Samsung's is better, that is a matter of taste rather than any objective measure, IMO. Both are valid approaches. Considering the need for a status bar anyways, I personally like Apple's approach here as it gets the status indicators out of the way.

Now if YouTube would fix their bug where they don't honor the safe areas on the screen when going landscape initially, I'll be happy.

 

[Act3]

Agreed. The notch is a neutral thing, IMO. It's not a selling point, nor is it a deal breaker.

I see it as a decent compromise between two design goals with current tech (and manufacturing):
1) Needing to actually put sensors/etc into the front of the phone.
2) Wanting the display to take up the whole front so it feels "full".

It's different than the S8s approach, which is also valid. But it's better than the approach of having the thin bezel on only one side, from an aesthetic point of view.

Now, if you think Apple's aesthetic or Samsung's is better, that is a matter of taste rather than any objective measure, IMO. Both are valid approaches. Considering the need for a status bar anyways, I personally like Apple's approach here as it gets the status indicators out of the way.

Now if YouTube would fix their bug where they don't honor the safe areas on the screen when going landscape initially, I'll be happy.

The notch is a deal breaker for me. I will upgrade my 6s non plus to get the 8+ because of it.

 

[Krevnik]

The notch is a deal breaker for me. I will upgrade my 6s non plus to get the 8+ because of it.

Great, I've been turned off by arbitrary design decisions myself. But I guess I don't understand the why here. It frees up more of the "safe" space for content compared to leaving the status bar in the rectangular part of the display, and it is filled with stuff I don't really care about. I stopped really even paying attention about a day into ownership.

Honestly, the more visible gaps between the subpixels bothers me more than the notch, and I got used to that too.

 

[Act3]

Great, I've been turned off by arbitrary design decisions myself. But I guess I don't understand the why here. It frees up more of the "safe" space for content compared to leaving the status bar in the rectangular part of the display, and it is filled with stuff I don't really care about. I stopped really even paying attention about a day into ownership.

Honestly, the more visible gaps between the subpixels bothers me more than the notch, and I got used to that too.

mainly because, for me, it is not normal to have a notch cutting out the display screen when viewing media especially in landscape mode. I prefer straight edges, like my computer monitor, tv screen, magazines, newspapers, movie screens, photos from cameras, books, etc....

 

[myscrnnm]

Looks ugly as ****.

 

[mocciat]

I like the horns. Now, what I'm not a fan of is what it takes to power off the X using the buttons....ugh. Give me the option to press and hold like before.

It is present and hold. Press and hold the side button and either then volume upon volume down at the same time.

 

[EnderBeta]

Apple appears to have made an exception to its rule that developers "embrace the notch" on the iPhone X, by approving an app called Notch Remover for the App Store.

Essentially, all the app does is add a black bar across the top of selected images that the user can then manually assign as a wallpaper in iOS Settings.

The result conceals the existence of the notch and the adjacent "ears" with what looks like a solid black status bar along the top of the lock screen and home screen.

The one-trick nature of the app is unlikely to have been overlooked by Apple and approved in error, suggesting that the company doesn't interpret its function as a violation of iPhone X developer guidelines.
The notch houses Apple's TrueDepth camera and Face ID technology, but it eats into the viewing area of the OLED display. Its existence has divided Apple fans, but many iPhone X owners say that they don't really notice it after a few days or even just a few hours with the device, after which it ceases to be an issue for them.

Still, if the notch just isn't your thing, Notch Remover offers to mitigate the screen intrusion for just $0.99.

Article Link: Apple Approves 'Notch Remover' App for iPhone X

That actually helps the design a lot in my opinion. Although the top bar icons are still limited because of the notch what happens when the location, bluetooth, charing and battery percentage indicators are visible? Do the icons get super small? Not to mention the Wifi signal indicator, cellar signal strength indicator on the left. It's still a flawed design.

 

[Seoras]

It's November isn't it. Not the first day of April?
I think the notch is a non issue having had the iPhoneX since launch day and spent several weeks working on an iPhone X simulator updating Apps for it. I just don't see it. I like the way the ears are used in an iconic summary of battery and connectivity.

 

[omihek]

Looks like a giant bezel at top. How's this look good again? lol

Well, it looked fine last year, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before.

 

[PickUrPoison]

The notch is a deal breaker for me. I will upgrade my 6s non plus to get the 8+ because of it.

Nothing wrong with that, and you’ll save $200, too. But there are a few things you give up if you don’t want the notch.

Not everyone thinks the 6.1” LCD model rumored for next year will have a notch, so you might think about holding out for another 10 months. My 6S is running iOS 11 just fine, and the battery is still at 88%, so personally I’m going to try to make it until next fall. And the 8 Plus will drop to $699, if you can wait!

 

[honglong1976]

It is functional, in the sense that you wouldn’t be able to make a call, unlock your phone or make FaceTime calls without it, and it also serves a design purpose, in that you can have more screen space when in app, at least in portrait mode, because the signal levels and battery percentage icons are tucked away in the gaps.

You can also avoid it having much of an affect on landscape mode if you don’t zoom on movies from what I’ve seen.

Had they done anything else, they’d have been accused of copying Samsung. They traded that for pissing a select few off!

Jony Ive Quote
"Our goal is to try to bring a calm and simplicity to what are incredibly complex problems (lots of sensors above the screen) so that you're not aware really of the solution (there is now a big friggin' notch at the top)."

 

[sracer]

Just goes to show that what any of us finds appealing or acceptable is highly subjective.

The Sharp Aquos Crystal was a phone that was bezel-less on 3 sides. The front facing camera was located in the bottom "chin". Those on this site who knew about the phone, criticized the design stating that the lack of symmetry was distracting. Interestingly, those very same people have "embraced the notch" (which is more distracting because it intrudes on the rectangular space of the screen).

 

[AnthonyHarris]

Jony Ive Quote
"Our goal is to try to bring a calm and simplicity to what are incredibly complex problems (lots of sensors above the screen) so that you're not aware really of the solution (there is now a big friggin' notch at the top)."

I can't account for Jony Ive's contradictions. All I can say is that it is there and there is a good reason for it being there. If people really hate it that much they don't have to buy the device.

 

[honglong1976]

I can't account for Jony Ive's contradictions. All I can say is that it is there and there is a good reason for it being there. If people really hate it that much they don't have to buy the device.

I agree! I am not buying it. It's got a big notch at the top!

 

[AnthonyHarris]

I agree! I am not buying it. It's got a big notch at the top!

Problem solved!

 

[cult hero]

The Notch is not nearly as offputting as
some are making it. It's just a matter of either adjusting to it after using it for a while, which is typically like anything we use that we don't have experience with. Or, you have those who just want to disapprove of the Notch regardless because They don't like the design, even with all the technology behind it.

Mind you, this is the same forum where people were losing their minds about the "five head" on the LG 5Ks and almost a year in, these monitors are absolutely fantastic.

 

[Ma2k5]

Wow...it actually looks so much better without the notch....who knew?

(thats right...everyone)

It actually doesn't, and that surprised me!

 

[honglong1976]

It actually doesn't, and that surprised me!

seriously? it looks a million times better without the notch