How to Hide the Notch on the Pixel 3 XL

Google’s new Pixel 3 XL is an excellent phone with a lot of features to love, but the notch at the top of the screen isn’t one of them. Here’s how to hide the notch on your Pixel 3 XL.

For those unaware, the “notch” is that black thing at the top of the Pixel 3 XL screen. This houses sensor, the speaker, cameras and more while maximizing screen real-estate. While we wait for true edge-to-edge screens, this is the next best thing.

In fact, the company received plenty of criticism for the large face-like notch cutting into the display. Some going as far calling the phone “notch city” and other silly jokes or memes on Twitter. That said, there are a few ways to get around the notch on the Pixel 3 XL and here they are.

How to Hide the Pixel 3 XL Notch

For whatever reason Google hid this setting in Developer Options. A special menu of settings that are also hidden from users. So, you must enable that first. It only takes a minute, so follow our steps exactly as outlined below.

• Go to Settings > System > About Phone > Scroll down and tap on Build Number 8 times
• Once you see a popup that says “You Are Now a Developer” hit Back
• In Settings > System > Advanced you’ll see a new choice for Developer Options near the bottom, click that
• Scroll down until you see Drawing > tap on Display Cutout and choose Hide.

• You’re welcome!

Now, your Pixel 3 XL will hide the notch and look more like a traditional phone from the last few years. Meaning it’ll have a bezel at the top and look almost just like a Pixel 2 XL from 2017. It’s worth noting that this works exceptionally well, and you won’t be able to tell that this is a software trick hiding the notch. You do lose some screen real-estate, which is a bummer.

Another Option

If you don’t like losing that screen space but hate the notch at the same time, you have one more option. Download the Nacho Notch app from the Google Play Store.

Unlike Google’s method, Nacho Notch puts the status bar (clock, time, date, battery, and notifications) inside the notch. Off to the left and right sides, but still blacks out the notch. This way you still get to actually use the entire screen, yet it conceals that eyesore.

We’ve seen a similar option from LG and OnePlus, and hopefully Google adds it to the Pixel 3 XL settings menu in the near future.

For now, you can enable developer options and hide it yourself, or use third-party apps like Nacho Notch. Before you go, take a peek at our guide of 15 common Pixel 3 problems and how to fix them. Otherwise, hide that notch and enjoy your phone.