Large screen user per-app overrides

Android provides compatibility overrides that change the configured behavior of apps.

Device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) apply overrides to selected apps on specific large screen devices. Android 14 QPR1 introduces user overrides, which enable users to apply overrides to apps through device settings.

Per-app overrides are intended to fix broken app behavior or improve the user experience on large screen devices. Apps can disable some overrides.

For more information about per-app overrides, see Large screen compatibility mode.

User overrides

Android 14 QPR1 introduces a new settings menu that enables users to change the aspect ratio of apps. The menu is implemented on select large screen devices.

Users choose from a list of apps and then set the app aspect ratio to various values, including 4:3, 16:9, and full screen (aspect ratio values are configured by the device manufacturer). Users can also reset the aspect ratio to the app default, which is the value specified by an OEM‑applied per‑app override (see OVERRIDE_MIN_ASPECT_RATIO) or, if no override has been applied or the app has disabled the override, the value in the app manifest.

Disable the overrides

Android 14 QPR1 provides the following PackageManager.Property tags, which enable you to prevent users from overriding the app's behavior:


  • PROPERTY_COMPAT_ALLOW_USER_ASPECT_RATIO_OVERRIDE

    To disable the user aspect ratio compatibility override, add the property to your app manifest and set the value to false:

    <application>
        <property
            android:name="android.window.PROPERTY_COMPAT_ALLOW_USER_ASPECT_RATIO_OVERRIDE"
            android:value="false"/>
    </application>
    

    Your app will be excluded from the list of apps in device settings; and so, users won't be able to override the app's aspect ratio.

    Setting the property to true has no effect.


  • PROPERTY_COMPAT_ALLOW_USER_ASPECT_RATIO_FULLSCREEN_OVERRIDE

    To disable the full-screen option of the user aspect ratio compatibility override, add the property to your app manifest and set the value to false:

    <application>
        <property
            android:name="android.window.PROPERTY_COMPAT_ALLOW_USER_ASPECT_RATIO_FULLSCREEN_OVERRIDE"
            android:value="false"/>
    </application>
    

    The full-screen option is removed from the list of aspect ratio options in device settings. Users won't be able to apply the full‑screen override to your app.

    Setting this property to true has no effect.

Optimize your app for large screens: Don't set aspect ratio restrictions in your app. Use window size classes to support different layouts based on the amount of available display space.