Notch Considerations

Notch considerations address how application layouts accommodate display cutouts that house cameras and sensors on modern smartphones. Apple’s iPhone notch (and Dynamic Island), along with various Android display cutout configurations, create screen regions where content cannot display. Design systems must ensure components and layouts work correctly regardless of notch presence or configuration.

What Are Notch Considerations

Display notches are screen intrusions that house front-facing cameras, sensors, and speakers. Apple introduced the notch with iPhone X, evolving it into the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and later. Android devices feature various cutout shapes including notches, punch holes, and waterdrop designs, each affecting different screen regions.

Notch considerations encompass layout decisions that prevent content from being obscured by these cutouts. Proper handling ensures interactive elements remain tappable, text remains readable, and visual designs appear intentional rather than broken.

Notch configurations vary significantly across the device landscape. While iOS notches follow a few specific configurations, Android devices feature diverse cutout shapes and positions. Design systems cannot assume specific notch dimensions but must work with variable safe area insets provided by each platform.

How Notch Considerations Affect Design

Portrait orientation places notches at screen top, affecting status bar region design. Applications typically cannot display content in the notch area during portrait use. Safe area insets push content below the notch automatically when applications respect safe area constraints.

Notch Impact by Orientation:

Portrait:
- Notch at top center (iOS) or various positions (Android)
- Status bar integrates around notch
- Content area starts below notch
- Minimal impact on most layouts

Landscape:
- Notch moves to side (iOS: leading side for Face ID cameras)
- Content may need lateral insets
- Video and immersive content must handle notch
- Navigation elements need repositioning

Full-screen Media:
- Letterboxing avoids notch for video content
- Games may render into notch area selectively
- Camera/photos often ignore notch for full display

Landscape orientation creates more complex notch considerations. On iOS devices with Face ID, the notch appears on the left or right side depending on how the phone is held. Lateral content like side navigation, landscape tab bars, or game controls must account for this intrusion.

Immersive content like video, photos, and games makes specific decisions about notch handling. Video typically letterboxes to avoid notch overlap. Photos may display edge-to-edge, accepting partial image obscuring for full-screen effect. Games choose based on gameplay needs.

Dynamic Island on newer iPhones creates special considerations. The Island can display system and application content, expanding for certain interactions. Applications can integrate with Dynamic Island for Live Activities and other real-time content.

Key Considerations

• Notch dimensions vary across devices
• Orientation changes relocate notch impact
• Safe area APIs abstract notch specifics
• Immersive content requires explicit notch decisions
• Android cutout policies control system behavior
• Testing requires devices with various cutout configurations

Common Questions

How should design systems handle varied Android cutout configurations?

Abstract through safe area insets rather than specific cutout assumptions. Android’s WindowInsets API provides display cutout information that applications can query. Components should use these insets rather than assuming specific cutout shapes.

Cutout mode settings control how Android handles display cutouts. Applications can request to render into cutout areas or have the system letterbox around them. Design systems should specify appropriate cutout mode for different content types.

Testing across cutout configurations validates handling. Android emulators can simulate various cutout shapes and positions. Testing should include corner cutouts, center notches, and punch-hole configurations.

Graceful degradation ensures older code works on devices with new cutout configurations. Rather than whitelisting specific devices, proper safe area handling accommodates any configuration.

How do notches affect specific UI patterns?

Status bars integrate with notches on both platforms. Custom status bar treatments must account for notch presence. Transparent status bars on notched devices show app content extending behind the status bar but respecting the notch.

Headers and navigation bars typically extend behind the notch with content inset. The bar background fills the full width while buttons and titles avoid the notch region.

Floating action buttons and fixed-position elements need positioning that accounts for notch presence in landscape orientation. Elements near screen edges may need dynamic positioning based on notch location.

Full-screen modals, bottom sheets, and overlays must handle notches consistently with their underlying content. Inconsistent notch handling between layers creates jarring experiences.

Should designs ever intentionally use notch areas?

Generally, important content should not overlap notches. Users cannot interact with content behind notches, and visual content becomes obscured.

Background colors and gradients can extend through notch areas. This creates edge-to-edge visual effects where the actual notch simply obscures decoration, not important content.

Non-critical decorative elements might intentionally extend into notch areas if the design accepts partial obscuring. This is a specific design choice rather than a layout accident.

Platform features like Dynamic Island intentionally use the notch region for system and application content. Applications integrating with these features follow platform guidance for content in this region.

Summary

Notch considerations ensure application content displays correctly around display cutouts on modern smartphones. Design systems should rely on safe area insets rather than specific notch dimensions, specify notch handling for different content types, and test across varied cutout configurations. Proper handling prevents content obscuring while enabling edge-to-edge visual designs where appropriate.