Instagram users often find it frustrating that the app is always in portrait mode, no matter how they hold their phones. This is because Instagram’s interface is specifically designed to work best in that orientation. But what if you want to view Instagram on a larger screen, like yourbeloved foldable phoneor tablet? These devices have massive and beautiful displays, but they can also be annoying to use with some apps. Thankfully, Android 14 QPR1 appears to be fixing the limitation of Instagram (and presumably any other app) not being able to adapt to larger screens.
As pointed out byMishaal Rahman on Android Authority, Google is making it possible to force apps to use the entire screen on bigger displays like thePixel FoldorPixel Tablet. The first beta of Android 14 QPR1, which justdropped with a preview of December’s Pixel Feature Drop, includes an option for you to override the aspect ratio of apps so they take up a device’s entire screen.
This is done by either navigating toSettings > Apps > Aspect ratioor opening an app’s info page, where you’ll see the “aspect ratio” option under “advanced.” Alternatively, you can change the aspect ratio by tapping the button in the bottom right of an app that’s opened in a letterboxed view. In any case, you’ll be able to make apps fill the entire screen of your device, even if they’re not designed to do so. This can be useful for apps that don’t work well in portrait mode or for apps that you want to use on a large-screen device like a tablet.
you may select from the available aspect ratios, which include app default, fullscreen, half screen, device aspect ratio, 16:9, 4:3, and 3:2. The override is per-app, with the settings page displaying a list of suggested apps that may benefit from an aspect ratio override by default. Rahman notes that only apps that declare a maximum supported aspect ratio may show up on this page.
With the aspect ratio override capability in Android 14 QPR1, you can finally get rid of the annoying black bars that appear when apps are displayed in a letterbox view. However, forcing an app into full screen may result in image distortion.
Here’s hoping that Google fixes this problem in future Android 14 Quarterly Platform Releases. QPRs are smaller updates that Google releases quarterly to add new features and bug fixes to Android. It’s worth noting that while the beta program for Android 14 QPR1 has kicked off, the official release isn’t expected to take place until December, as with previous releases.
