Got a Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, or S10e? There are plenty these phones can do, and we’ve broken down some of the neat features that need to be enabled in the settings so you can get the most out of them. One of the changes in the new phones is how the selfie camera is designed within the screen, allowing for a look that maximizes screen real estate.
It’s called the hole-punch camera, the name for the selfie camera that floats at the top right of the screen, like a hole punched in a piece of paper. It’s not as controversial as phones with notches, but there are people with strong stances against this design choice. If you’re not enjoying the look, don’t worry, there’s a way to hide it in the settings so you get a somewhat traditional-looking bezel.
How to hide the hole-punch camera
Head over to the Settings app, which you can find in the App Drawer, or just swipe down the notification tray and tap the gear icon on the top right. Now go to Display > Full screen apps. You’ll see a toggle at the top to Hide front camera. Tap this, and now a black bar will be added at the top of the phone to hide the hole-punch camera.
The status bar will move a little lower, so you are effectively losing screen space by doing this. The device may also look strange, with a giant bezel at the top now throwing out any kind of symmetry that was present before.
This is sadly your only option to hide the hole-punch camera, but there’s an alternative (and popular) way to mask it if this doesn’t satisfy.
Try a wallpaper
There’s a growing movement to create wallpapers on the S10 range of phones that make creative use of the hole-punch cameras at the top. We’ve curated a handful over here, but you can also check out the entire S10 wallpaper subreddit on Reddit to choose styles. This approach can effectively mask the hole-punch camera on the home and lock screen, though you’ll still need to bear with it while using other apps.
But if the hole-punch camera is bothering you that much, that’s a good indicator you should return the phone for another device. The Nokia 9 PureView, for example, is one of the few flagship-grade phones that doesn’t have a hole-punch camera or a notch.
