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Google Bans Android Phones From Having Three or More Notches (theverge.com)

Google is building official notch support into Android P, but it's laying out some ground rules first: two notches is the limit. From a report: In a blog post for developers yesterday, Android UI product manager Megan Potoski wrote that Google is working with device partners "to mandate a few requirements" for app compatibility purposes. Among those are limits on notches. The mandate says that Android P phones can't have "more than two cutouts on a device." Only one notch is allowed per side, and notches are only allowed on the top and bottom edges -- not the left and right.

18 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Too bad by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They could have refused notches completely and mock Apple for doing something so ugly and impractical.

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    1. Re:Too bad by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They could have refused notches completely and mock Apple for doing something so ugly and impractical.

      It really is an absurd (and ugly) design "feature". I've yet to meet one person who has said, "what this phone needs is a notch".

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      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:Too bad by infolation · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've yet to meet one person who has said, "what this phone needs is a notch".

      Yet... now that Google's banned them, I really want a three-notch phone.

    3. Re:Too bad by BLToday · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've yet to meet one person who has said, "what this phone needs is a notch".

      Yet... now that Google's banned them, I really want a three-notch phone.

      Screw it. We’re going straight to 5 notches.

  2. LOL by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Funny

    This headline just made me laugh and laugh and laugh, thinking of some phone company exec saying to his staff:

      "If the people want notches, by God we will give them notches! Notches on the back, on the sides, on every screen edge! Two on larger edges! I want all notch proposals on my desk by tomorrow morning and there better not be a single place I can think of having a notch that does not have one!".

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    1. Re:LOL by nitehawk214 · · Score: 4, Informative
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    2. Re:LOL by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 3, Funny

      This headline just made me laugh and laugh and laugh, thinking of some phone company exec saying to his staff:

        "If the people want notches, by God we will give them notches! Notches on the back, on the sides, on every screen edge! Two on larger edges! I want all notch proposals on my desk by tomorrow morning and there better not be a single place I can think of having a notch that does not have one!".

      There will probably be more notches on my next phone than my bedpost.

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      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  3. Anyone else have no idea what a notch is? by skam240 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Maybe describe what a notch is in the summary for those of us whose lives don't revolve around our stupid phones.

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    1. Re:Anyone else have no idea what a notch is? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Notch is the guy who made minecraft. Google is trying to restrict cloning of him before it gets out of hand.

  4. say by rossdee · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't Hispanic phones have "Bonus Notches" ?

  5. Re:top and bottom by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

    Why does the notch have to be near the speaker and the mic. When I rotate the phone what were once sides are now top and bottom, it's just a short fat phone.

    Well, in general, the sole purpose of a notch is for the selfie-cam. Sure you can do fancy things like have a motorized popout camera that shows up, but other than novelty, that's something that can break easily - either by getting dirt into the mechanism, or subjecting the exposed portion subject to bending forces, etc. Plus waterproofing and such is harder.

    The microphone is almost always not at the bottom, and the earpiece either at the top or along the selfie-cam.

    Top and bottom notch can be handy in the situation where you turn it sideways, where they can become a set of stereo speakers.(some phones already do this).

  6. Correction by Artem+S.+Tashkinov · · Score: 2

    Let me correct you, Google: zero notches is the limit and the notch in the Pixel 3 XL is the most horrible thing I've ever seen.

  7. Re:WTF is a notch? by suutar · · Score: 2

    it's a spot where the screen area is intruded on by non-screen stuff. The most famous, I think, if not the first was the apple iphone X, which has a notch in the top of the display area to hold the selfie camera and probably some other stuff. App developers have to know about it so they don't try to use pixels that aren't there for anything important, so it's effectively a feature they have to support.

  8. There...are...four....notches by Prince+Vegeta+SSJ4 · · Score: 2

    There...are...four....notches

  9. And the number of the notches shalt be two or less by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two shalt be the number of notches thou may install, and the number of the notches shalt be two or less. Zero thou may choose, and one is righteous in my sight, and thou mayst proceed to two, but thou shalt not proceed to three. Four is right out.

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  10. WTF by owenferguson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So now "notch" is the word we use for "occlusion" when talking about shitty screen design?

  11. Re:Size of notch not dealt with... by iggymanz · · Score: 2

    it is mental retardation to insist on bezel-less screen. There is great way around notches good for decades, have a bezel or area above screen. everyone is fine with it.

  12. I still prefer bezels by Tomahawk · · Score: 3

    Give me 90 degree corners (not rounded ones), a 16:9 screen, and bezels instead of notches where needed. I want a big screen, and want to see and use all of it.

    Many designs for phones these days just making them annoying to use.

    Sony got the right idea with the XZ2 Premium. I wish more manufacturers would go back to that. Stop making the phone "pretty", and make it fully usable.