Apple’s New MacBooks Include a Notch-Hiding Feature by Shrinking the Screen

(Photo: Apple) Some despise it, some don’t mind it. Apple’s latest 14” and 16” MacBook Pros come with a notch at the top of the screen where the device’s camera lies, similar to that of the iPhone. But users report that since getting their hands on the new MacBooks, certain applications haven’t interacted well with the notched display; rather than considering the notch in their formatting, the applications act as though it isn’t there, thus losing a small chunk of their screen real estate. 

The issue has prompted Apple to push out a temporary workaround, according to a new support document. In an effort to avoid the notched area entirely, the company has provided 2021 MacBook Pro users with a way to display an app entirely below the camera area in lieu of a slim band of screen space. Users can now go into an app’s settings, open the Info window, and select an option called “Scale to fit below built-in camera.” Apple notes that even after this option is selected, all open apps or apps that share the same space will appear below the camera until users quit the app using the scaled setting.

(Photo: Apple)

The workaround is a band-aid fix intended only to be used until more apps interact with the camera notch properly. Prior to the fix, users complained that toolbars were losing their middle area to the notch, or that cursors would awkwardly jolt around the notch as if they don’t know what to do with it. Also, some toolbar options have been accessible under the notch, and some haven’t. Overall, the UI involved in one of Apple’s shiny new MacBook Pro features has been disappointing, to say the least.  

Apple’s temporary solution isn’t the most attractive one either, given that many new MacBook Pro owners were drawn to the device for its larger screen. With thicker bezels like those of the old MacBook Pros, it’s harder to show off that you have the latest model at your local coffee shop or in the office. In that way, the notch is a status symbol, something you want to notice and have others notice—just not in the way users have experienced so far.

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