Have you noticed that some apps are not using the full screen on your Galaxy S9? If so, this guide will explain how to force apps to full screen mode on Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. These phones have big and beautiful 5.8 or 6.2 inch curved screens and you can take full advantage of it.
Thanks to the 18.5:9 aspect ratio on the Galaxy S9, the screen is longer and not that wide. This makes certain apps use less than full screen. As a result, you may see black bars at the top and bottom of apps.
This is similar to 16:9 widescreen movies and video a few years ago. Many users are having problems with new phones like Galaxy S9, Note 8, Pixel 2 XL and more with this screen type. Until more app developers adopt this standard, you need to enable or force “full screen apps” in the settings menu. Here’s how.
We saw a similar issue on the Galaxy S8 last year and even more recently the iPhone X. As a result, most developers quickly updated their apps to run on a wide variety of screen sizes, resolutions, and aspect ratios. Most Android apps scale easily and instantly to fill the entire screen. This way they work on a smartwatch, Galaxy S9 or Android TV.
However, there may not be a few, and you have to manually force them to the correct mode to use the full 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+ screen you paid for.
How to Enable Fullscreen Apps on Galaxy S9
Most apps and games look great on the bigger screen, but not all. Some do fit, but they don’t look right or the content is cut off. As a result, you may need to force fullscreen mode for some and disable it for others.
As you can see from our picture above, most of the apps work perfectly on the Galaxy S9. This is where you need to go in settings. Next, scroll through the list and enable (or disable) the apps you need to change. We had to force Snapchat into fullscreen mode and disable it in a game where the buttons disappeared from the edges of the screen.
It is also worth noting that videos have a similar option and will appear in front of users. If not already, let us expand them to full screen. Or if you’re watching YouTube, pinch to zoom, it expands to use the entire screen.
You should do it?
Whether you force apps to use the whole screen is up to you. Personally, everything I changed worked fine and I had zero issues. However, it can happen, so keep that in mind. If any app starts to look funny, follow the steps again and close it again. At this point, most app developers have fixed all display issues, but you may encounter the occasional issue.
When closing, some apps may appear squashed around the edges, or certain items may slide off the edge of your screen. This is because developers need to update their apps. Again, expect almost everything to work perfectly on the Galaxy S9. If our tips do not solve your problem, you can always contact the developer on the Google Play Store. Before we go, take a look at these 15 common Galaxy S9 problems and how to fix them.
