Smartphones with camera cut-outs in the display don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Some folks like the way these “notches” increase allow phone makers to use slimmer top bezels, increasing the screen-to-body ratio. Others hate the way that they seem to punch a hole in full-screen images, videos, and apps.
But xda-developers forum member oddlyspaced has decided to make smartphones notches a key component of his new battery indicator app for Android.
It’s called Notch Pie, and it adds a half-circle around the edge of a notch, letting you see your phone’s battery level at a glance.
The first time you run the phone, you’re prompted to adjust the position of the battery indicator so that it hugs the borders of the physical notch in your display. Xda-developers notes that it can take a little while to get it just right, but once you’ve gone through the setup process you should never have to do it again… probably. Notch Pie is currently in beta and oddlyspaced notes that “some things might not work as intended.”
Notch Pie is specifically designed for phones with “waterdrop” or “teardrop” style notches rather than those with bigger iPhone X-style bars that take up more space on the top of a phone.
If we’re stuck with notch-phones, what other apps would you like to see that incorporate notches into their design?
Meh, I prefer a % readout.
Just like how I prefer a quick Digital Time over an Analogue one.
Cool idea, but it makes the notch even bigger by a few pixels.