Search results for

All search results
Best daily deals

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

Double trouble: Android P developer preview brings dual notch support

Google is now letting developers prepare for the inevitable — the two-notched display.
By

Published onMay 9, 2018

Android P Dual Notch
TL;DR
  • Second Android P developer preview brings support for two notches.
  • This lets app developers see how their app would be displayed on a dual notch display.
  • It’s bound to be divisive, but it may not be long before someone unveils a two-notch device.

Google has introduced support for screens with two notches in its latest Android P developer preview (DP2). As spotted by 9to5Google, developers can not only preview how their app would look on a display with a center or corner notch, but also what it would look like with both a top and a bottom notch.

Mobile VR headsets: What are your best options?
Best products
Man Wearing Meta Quest 3 On Head

The Android P developer previews offer a way for developers to prepare apps for compatibility with the next major Android version, which itself is being primed for upcoming smartphones and technologies. With dual-notch support being a part of the latest preview, there’s a good chance devices with this type of design will be produced in the future.

In fact, manufacturers already appear to be planning devices with two notches. Patents revealed in late April suggest that ZTE has been considering a device with this a dual-notch display. The ZTE patents show a phone with a small notch at the top for a camera and a notch at the bottom for the home button.

android p cutout simulator notch

When the original developer preview, released in March, included notch support, we speculated that this meant Google planned to incorporate a notch into the Pixel 3. With the handset expected to be launched around October, is it too late to rule out a double notch for the Pixel 3’s display?

While notches have been a very divisive feature on Android devices, the recent influx of them suggests that they are here to stay. At least the new developer preview will give devs time to prepare for the two-notch possibility, and offer greater support for them.

Google confirmed yesterday that there will be three more developer previews released in June and July before Android P gets a final release in Q3 2018.

Next up: Android P beta hands-on: Gestures galore

You might like