Tell me more ×
Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for enthusiasts and power users of the Android operating system. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

Is it possible to hide or autohide the top bar which is still present on the top of Android screen? My version of Android is 2.2.

The top bar is distracting for me while reading. I'm using Aldiko, ezPDF Reader, Infinity for reading. Most distracting is the wifi icon which is changing when something happens with the connection.

And the top bar is using space on a small display which can be better utilized (e.g. in Teamviewer)

Some video players can hide the top bar (default Video player) and some can't (Act1 Video player - which I like more but don't use because of the top bar).

Thank you.

share|improve this question
Certain apps have fullscreen mode. Those that don't probably won't be able to take advantage of the extra space if you were to hide it? I'm not sure. – Matthew Read♦ Aug 3 '11 at 21:54
Infinity browser has fullscreen mode but the top bar is still there. – xralf Aug 5 '11 at 18:21

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

You can hide the top bar if you use a different launcher like @CustomiZer stated, but it will Only hide it when you are on the home screen. When you open apps, if they are not Full Screen apps, the top bar will still be present.

This is part of "core" android, and it is not something that can be changed, currently, via a setting or 3rd party application.

share|improve this answer
I edited the question. The top bar is present even in fullscreen (see Infinity browser). – xralf Aug 5 '11 at 18:26
My answer is still the same, the app doesn't seem to actually use "full screen mode" if the top bar is still there. – Ryan Conrad Aug 5 '11 at 18:37
OK, it seems this is the feature of individual applications. Is there a proof that application A can't change this property in application B? You probably have this information from somewhere. Could you please cite this source? – xralf Aug 6 '11 at 6:41
Its not a feature of an application, it is a feature of the Core System. it allows the application to cover it, if the application specifies that it is a full screen activity. – Ryan Conrad Aug 7 '11 at 14:02
up vote 1 down vote

It is usually not possible with the default home screen. This is possible with alternative home replacement like GO Launcher EX, LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, etc. Some of these allow hiding of the top notification bar in their respective settings with specific swipe actions.

share|improve this answer
The top bar is distracting for me while reading. I'm using Aldiko, ezPDF Reader, Infinity for reading. Most distracting is the wi-fi icon which is changing when something happens with the connection. And the top bar is using space on a small display which can be better utilized (e.g. in Teamviewer) – xralf Aug 5 '11 at 18:20
I don't think you can do it when opening other apps (unless you mod the ROM I guess) – Abhirup Manna Aug 6 '11 at 9:06

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.