What is Android Status Bar & How to hide notification bar on Android devices?

The status bar (or notification bar) in Android is an interface element located at the top of the screen. It displays notification icons, battery information, device time, and other system status details. Pulling down the status bar reveals the notification panel, which provides access to frequently used settings and recent notifications. The status bar acts as a centralized hub for users to stay informed and manage notifications without interrupting their tasks. It offers quick access to important system information and enhances the overall user experience on Android devices.

What is status bar in Android?

In recent versions of Android, and in new smartphones, the status bar is designed to be extremely customizable, and provide better functionality. However, when organizations use devices for point-of-sale (POS), it's critical to ensure these devices are locked down only to the required apps while restricting access to other apps such as phone, browser and settings to avoid misuse of the device  and to provide a better user experience. Organizations have started using mobile devices as single purpose devices by locking them down using Kiosk Mode and restricting access to the Settings apps. Despite restricting access to the Settings app, some of the basic settings can be accessed from the notification bar or Status bar on the Android device. That's why it's essential to "remove" or temporarily disable the status bar and notification panel at the top on Android devices when they're locked down into Kiosk Mode. Hiding or disabling the status or notification bar on Android devices will not only ensure that the device settings are made inaccessible but will also provide a more immersive experience to the kiosk user.

Mobile Device Manager Plus allows admins to completely hide Android status bar and disable notification bar on Android devices using Kiosk Mode to prevent unauthorized access to notifications and settings. To learn how to hide the status or notification bar on Android read below.

Steps to hide status bar/notification bar on Android devices

To hide status bar or disable notification bar in Android, IT admins must perform the following two steps:

• Add devices to Kiosk Mode
• Hide notification bar

Add device to Kiosk Mode

The first step to hide Android status bar/ notification bar on Android devices using Mobile Device Manager Plus is to lock down the device into Kiosk Mode. Kiosk Mode allows the device to run specific apps on the devices while restricting access to other apps and device functionalities such as to hide status bar on these Android devices. Follow the steps given below to enable Android Kiosk Mode, in order to remove status bar/notification bar on Android devices.

• On the MDM console, create an Android profile by navigating to Device Mgmt -> Profiles -> New Profile -> Android.
• Specify a name and description before creating the profile.
• From the left pane, select Kiosk for creating a Kiosk Mode profile
• Select Single App if you want to run only one app on the device and Multi-app for running multiple apps on the devices
• Enter the name of the app(s) that need to be provisioned in Kiosk.

How to hide Android status bar?

To hide or disable the status and notification bar on Android devices while enabling Kiosk Mode, follow the steps given below:

• Select the Kiosk Mode profile to which you've added the apps to be provisioned in Kiosk Mode.
• Navigate to Device Restrictions to disable the status bar in Android devices.
• Restrict the Status Bar option to disable the status bar on the device. By default the Status Bar expansion option is restricted, which disables the notification bar.
• You can also optionally disable the Task Bar to prevent users from accessing the default launcher or exiting Kiosk.
• Click on Save to save the profile. Distribute the profile to Groups or devices based on your requirements

This is how the device in Kiosk Mode looks once you disable notification bar and remove status bar on Android devices.

Using this method, you can hide the status and notification bar even on newer versions of Android like Android 10 and 11. In addition to enabling admins to disable/hide notification bar and remove status bar, Mobile Device Manager Plus provides a fully customizable Kiosk Mode with various settings. Refer this document for more details on how to configure Kiosk Mode on devices.