Modern smartphones offer amazing image quality, but owners are often faced with the fact that the content does not occupy the entire screen. Black stripes at the top and bottom, cutouts for the camera or navigation bar can significantly reduce the visual pleasure of watching movies or games. Fortunately, the operating system Android provides flexible tools for controlling the display of content.
Correct settings full screen mode allows you not only to increase the usable display area, but also to hide distracting interface elements. In this article, we will look in detail at how to adapt the image to the features of your matrix, be it an elongated screen or a classic format.
You will learn about hidden developer settings, specific functions of shells from Samsung and Xiaomi, as well as how to make old applications work correctly on new devices. A deep dive into the display settings will help you get the most out of your gadget's capabilities.
Basic display settings in the system
The first step to the perfect picture is to check the standard system settings. Smartphone manufacturers often hide aspect ratio control options in sections that are not obvious to the average user. Usually the path is through Settings → Display → Full screen mode.
In this menu you will find a list of all installed applications. The system automatically determines which apps can stretch to fill the entire screen and which require black margins to work correctly. You can manually change these settings on a case-by-case basis.
- 📱 Select an application from the list to open its individual display settings.
- 🖼️ Activate the Full Screen or Stretch to Full Screen toggle.
- 🔄 Restart the application for the changes to take effect immediately.
It is worth noting that some older games or utilities may not display controls correctly when stretched. The buttons may extend beyond the edge of the visible area or be blocked by the camera cutout. In such cases, it is better to leave the standard aspect ratio.
If, after enabling full-screen mode, the application interface becomes unreadable, try changing the screen orientation or updating the application itself to the latest version.
Do not forget that the names of menu items may differ depending on the version Android and the proprietary shell. For example, in pure Android this function may be called “Application Aspect Ratio”, and in MIUI - “Screen Extension”. Be careful when searching for the desired section.
Managing the navigation bar and gestures
One of the main consumers of useful screen space is the classic navigation bar with three buttons. Switching to gesture controls is the most effective way to free up space for content and make using your smartphone more ergonomic.
To activate this feature, go to Settings → System → Gestures → System control. Here you will be asked to choose between buttons and gesture navigation. Selecting the second option will remove the black bar at the bottom of the screen, giving these pixels to display information.
| Navigation type | Space occupied | Convenience usage | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three buttons | High (bottom bar) | Familiar, visual | 100% applications |
| Two buttons | Medium (compact panel) | Compromise | High |
| Gestures | Minimum (thin line) | Modern, fast | 95% of applications |
Using gestures requires a short period of getting used to. A swipe from the bottom replaces the Home button, a swipe from the edge replaces the Back button. However, the visual benefit is obvious: video players and games occupy the entire available area of the matrix without darkening.
In some shells, for example One UI from Samsung, additional settings for gesture sensitivity are available. This is especially true for devices with curved screen edges, where accidental presses can interfere with operation. Customize this setting for maximum comfort.
Settings for devices with cutouts and holes
Modern displays often have cutouts for the front camera in the form of a “notch” or a pinhole. By default, the system can hide these areas by creating a black bar at the top so as not to overlap the status bar. But you can change this behavior.
In the menu Settings → Display → Camera cutout (or similar) you can select the display mode. The "Show Cutout" option will cause the status bar to wrap around the camera, using every pixel of the screen. This is especially useful when viewing videos in landscape orientation.
⚠️ Attention: When you enable the cutout display, notification icons may overlap or be hidden behind the camera. Make sure that important indicators remain visible to you.
For devices with a double notch or complex top bezel shape, there are advanced masking settings. You can manually specify which apps should ignore the notch and which should adapt to it. This gives complete control over the visual part of the interface.
Hidden cutout settings
In some firmware (for example, older versions of MIUI), you need to activate the hidden menu through engineering code or the Activity Launcher application to access advanced camera masking options.
Remember that in games, the cutout may cover important information, for example, a card or account. In such situations, it is advisable to temporarily return to the mode of hiding the notch so as not to lose gaming advantages due to a couple of millimeters of the screen.
Using developer options
If the standard settings are not enough, you can use the developer menu. This is a powerful tool that allows you to forcefully change the behavior of the system. To access it, you need to click on the build number several times in the section About phone.
In the menu that opens For Developers find the item associated with full-screen mode. It may be called "Allow applications to use the cutout" or "Force allow resizable activities". Enabling these switches forces the system to ignore restrictions set by application developers.
- 🛠️ Enable the "Force Allow Resizing" option for all windows.
- 📐 Find the smallest width scale setting to change the pixel density.
- ⚙️ Experiment with interface debugging options only if you understand the risks.
Changing pixel density (DPI) is a radical method. Decreasing the DPI value causes the interface to shrink, fitting more content onto the screen. However, this can make the fonts too small and unreadable without the use of a magnifying glass.
The developer menu gives maximum freedom, but incorrect settings can lead to unstable system operation or a “bricked” interface. Remember the initial values before changing.
Also in this section, the function of emulating additional displays is available. It allows you to run applications in a window on top of the main screen, simulating the operation of a second monitor. This is useful for multitasking, but consumes additional processor resources.
Specifics of shells: Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei
Each major manufacturer makes its own changes to the standard Android, creating unique chips for working with the screen. Smartphone owners Samsung should pay attention to the function Auto Full Screenthat automatically hides the navigation bar in compatible applications.
Users Xiaomi i Redmi have access to the "Extension" function screen" for old applications. It forcibly stretches content that did not originally support modern proportions. In Huawei i Honor a similar function is called “Screen Cutout” and has several default modes.
Path for Xiaomi: Settings → Advanced settings → Full screen modePath for Samsung: Settings → Display → Navigation panel
Path for Huawei: Settings → Display → Screen cutout
It is important to consider that firmware updates may change the location of these items. Interfaces are updated regularly, adding new features or renaming old sections. If you do not find the item you need, use the keyword search inside the settings.
⚠️ Attention: Shell interfaces are constantly changing. If you do not find the specified menu item, check the official manufacturer help for your specific model and software version.
☑️ Checking shell settings
Some brands offer game modes that automatically enable full screen mode and block notifications when games are launched. Check the settings of the Game Launcher application or similar game center on your device to activate these functions.
Solving problems with black bars
Often, users are faced with a situation where black bars remain when watching a video, even if all settings are turned on. This may be due to the different aspect ratio of the video file and the smartphone screen. A 16:9 video will have banding on a 20:9 screen, and that's normal.
However, if banding appears in apps that are supposed to run full screen, the problem could be an app cache or system issue. Try clearing the cache of the problematic application through Settings → Applications → [Application name] → Memory → Clear cache.
In extreme cases, resetting the screen settings helps. This will not erase your data, but will return all display settings, including brightness, font, and image size, to factory settings. After this, you will have to re-configure the full-screen mode to suit your needs.
- 🗑️ Clear the cache of an application that is not displayed correctly.
- 📲 Update the application to the latest version through the store.
- 🔄 Reboot your device to reset temporary graphics bugs.
If the problem occurs only in one specific application, most likely the developer did not optimize it for your screen resolution. In this case, you should write to the developer's support with a request to add support for your display format.
Why are the stripes not removed?
Some video players by default retain the proportions of the original so as not to distort the picture. Look in the settings of the player itself for the “Zoom” or “Screen Fill” (Zoom/Fill) item.
Frequently asked questions
Why, after turning on full-screen mode, some of the buttons in the application became invisible?
This happens because the application is designed for the old screen format 16:9. When stretched onto a modern elongated screen, UI elements anchored to the edges may extend beyond the visible area. Try disabling full-screen mode for this particular application in the system settings.
Does full-screen mode affect battery consumption?
The display mode itself does not affect power consumption. However, if screen stretching forces the processor to scale graphics in real time (in older games), this can create additional load. In modern applications, the difference is unnoticeable.
Is it possible to make the screen completely black when the display is turned off (Always On Display)?
This is a separate function called Always On Display. It is configured in the “Lock Screen” or “Wallpaper and Style” section. Full screen mode only affects active applications and does not control the behavior of the screen in idle mode.
How can I get all the settings back if I broke something?
You can go to the developer menu and disable all the changed switches. If the problem is global, resetting accessibility access settings or completely resetting the phone (Factory Reset) will help, but this will delete all data.
Does this mode work on Android tablets?
Yes, the principles of operation are identical. Tablets often use multi-window mode, which can also be configured to fill the entire space. Look for settings in the “Parallel applications” or “Multi-window” section.