Increase the cutout by half on Xiaomi: appointment and setup

Owners of modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO often face a strange item in the settings of the display, which is called “Double the cutout”, This option can confuse even an experienced user, since its name sounds like a command to physically change the design of the device, which, of course, is impossible software methods.

It's really just a software-based masking of the front camera at the top of the screen, and it allows you to change the visual representation of the area around the lens, making the black bar wider, and it's necessary to create a symmetry effect where the top of the interface looks like a single black bar that hides the sensors and the camera.

In this article, we will discuss in detail why this setting is needed, how it affects the display of content and whether it should be activated, and we will also look at the differences in how this feature works on different versions of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS so that you can customize your gadget as comfortable as possible for the eyes.

The essence of the function "Increase the cut-out by half"

Underneath the cryptic phrase “double the cutout,” there is a simple algorithm for software interpolation of pixels: A smartphone forcibly stains the area around the physical camera black, widening the visible blackout zone, creating the illusion that the notch in the display (bang or hole) takes up twice as much space as it actually does.

The main purpose of this option is aesthetic. Many users experience visual discomfort from the asymmetrical location of the camera or from the way the black insula of the camera cuts light elements of the interface. The extension of the cutout helps smooth this transition, making the top bar of the status bar more uniform and less noticeable against a dark background.

It's important to understand that the physical size of the hole in the display matrix doesn't change. Xiaomi's camera stays in place, and the lens doesn't move anywhere. The changes are only about software rendering the image in the upper frame of the display. In fact, you just hide the camera behind a software black curtain.

⚠️ Note: Using this feature may cause notification icons or time to appear too close to the edge of the screen or to overlap a darkened area if the interface resolution is not automatically adapted.

It’s worth noting that this setting is especially relevant for models with wide necklines-bangs, which were popular in the models of 2018-2020 release. For modern smartphones with pinholes, this option is also available, but works a little differently, masking exactly the point.

Where to find a setting in MIUI and HyperOS

The location of the option may vary slightly depending on the firmware version and regional build. In most cases, the path to customization looks standard, but in new versions of HyperOS, the menu interface may have undergone changes.

To find the cutout control point, the following actions must be performed:

• 🔍 Open the Settings app on the main screen.
• 📱 Go to the Screen section (in some versions it may be called "Display»).
• ⚙️ Find the subsection Additional or scroll down to the cutout form settings block.
• 🖌️ Select the item Cutout Form or Hiding the Cutout.

And it's inside this menu that you'll see a switch or radio buttons that allow you to select the display mode, so you can leave a standard small notch or activate a mode that expands it, and in some MIUI builds, this item can be hidden if the system automatically determines the optimal mode for the running application.

If you can't find it in the designated location, try searching by settings. Type the word "cut" or "bang" into the search box, and the system will redirect you to the desired menu. This is a universal way for all versions of Xiaomi shells.

Impact on the display of content and interface

Activating the larger cutout mode directly affects how the operating system distributes interface elements at the top of the screen. When you expand the black zone, the useful display area available for application content decreases slightly.

Android, in conjunction with the MIUI shell, recalculates the status bar coordinates, with clocks, network icons, batteries and notifications being moved down or redrawn to accommodate the new boundary, ensuring that the text does not leak into the darkened zone and remains readable.

However, in some cases, display artifacts may occur:

• 📉 In applications with a non-standard interface, the top panel can be cut off.
• 🎥 When watching video in full screen mode, black stripes can appear from the bottom to preserve the proportions.
• 📱 Widgets on the desktop can shift if they are fixed at the top edge.

⚠️ Attention: In high frame rate games, enabling this feature sometimes results in micro-twitches of the interface, as the system requires more resources to redraw the top area of the screen.

Users often notice that in browsers and social networks, the top of the page becomes slightly smaller, which is a normal behavior of the system, designed to protect important elements of navigation from being blocked by a physical camera or its software mask.

Comparison of the notch display modes

To understand which mode is right for you, it is worth considering the differences between a standard and an enlarged neckline, the difference lies not only in the aesthetics, but also in the amount of useful space that is left for your tasks.

Below is a table comparing the main characteristics of the two display modes on Xiaomi devices:

As you can see from the comparison, the choices are your priorities. If you care about every millimeter of the screen to view documents or videos, you'd better leave the standard mode. If you're annoyed by asymmetry and you use dark topics a lot, the extension of the cutout will make the interface more seamless.

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Use dark wallpaper with a gradient to the top edge to visually smooth the transition between the screen and the camera notch without using software settings.

It is also worth mentioning that in some use cases, for example, when reading e-books in a vertical orientation, an enlarged notch can overlap the navigation buttons or the header of the chapter if the application is not optimized for dynamic change in the notch area.

Instructions for concealment and setting

If you want to experiment with the display settings, follow the step-by-step instructions that will help you safely change the display settings without risking damage to the system or loss of data.

The adjustment process is as follows:

First, unlock the device and go to the settings menu. Find the section responsible for the screen as described above. Inside the menu, you will see the current status. Switch the switch to the "On" position or select the appropriate radio box.

After you set the settings, the screen might blink. This is a normal reaction of the system to re-drawing the interface. Now, look carefully at the top of the display. You should notice that the black area around the camera has become wider.

Settings → Screen → The shape of the cutout → Increase the cutout

If you don't like the result, you can always go back to the same menu and turn off the function. The changes are instant and don't require a smartphone reboot. This allows you to quickly switch between modes depending on the application you're running.

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models and POCO budget-matric IPS the extension of the cutout can be noticeable to the naked eye due to different color reproduction of pixels under a black mask and an active matrix.

Compatibility issues and bugs

Despite the simplicity of the function, users sometimes encounter software errors, most often they are associated with the malfunction of specific applications that do not know how to correctly determine the dynamic display Cutout.

The most common problems include:

• 🐛 Overlaying application interface elements on the black zone of the cutout.
• 🐛 Disappearance of status icons (battery, time) after switching mode.
• 🐛 Disproportionate image stretching in video players.

If you notice glitches like this, try clearing the cache of a problematic app or updating it through Google Play. It’s also worth checking for system updates, as Xiaomi engineers regularly release patches that fix compatibility with popular software.

Special attention should be paid to navigation applications and maps. In the enlarged notch mode, the map can shift upwards, and important information about maneuvers will be hidden, in such cases, it is recommended to temporarily turn off the function or use horizontal orientation of the screen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The function of increasing the cutout is exclusively cosmetic setting, which does not improve the quality of the photo and does not repair the screen, but only changes the visual perception of the top of the display.