Understanding the Issue: Status Bar Still Showing in iOS Apps

In this article, we’ll delve into the world of iOS app development and explore why the status bar is still showing despite attempts to hide it. We’ll examine the various methods proposed by users and developers, discuss the underlying reasons behind their ineffectiveness, and provide a solution that works.

Background: Understanding Status Bar in iOS

In iOS, the status bar is a part of the top-most element on the screen, typically displaying important information such as battery life, signal strength, and navigation directions. By default, this bar is visible when your app is running.

However, with the introduction of iOS 7, Apple introduced a new feature called “StatusBar hiding” which allows developers to customize the behavior of their app’s status bar.

Methods Attempted by Users

The question provided lists several methods that users have attempted to hide the status bar. Let’s examine each one and understand why they don’t work:

Setting Status Bar to None in IB

One of the most common attempts is to set the status bar to “None” in Interface Builder (IB). While this setting is present, it does not guarantee that the status bar will be hidden.

The reason behind this behavior lies in the way iOS handles the status bar. Even when you set the status bar to “None”, it still exists as a part of the screen and can be accessed by the system.

// code from the question
 Setting Status Bar to "None" in IB 

Running [UIApplication sharedApplication] setStatusBarHidden:YES];

Another attempt is to run this code on application launch and in each scene:

// code from the question
 [[UIApplication sharedApplication] setStatusBarHidden:YES];
 // Run this code on application launch AND in each scene.

Unfortunately, this approach does not guarantee that the status bar will be hidden. When you set hidden to YES, it doesn’t actually hide the status bar; it simply prevents the system from displaying any new information on top of it.

// Explanation of why this method fails
 When you call `[UIApplication sharedApplication] setStatusBarHidden:YES];`, 
 it only hides the status bar, but does not remove it from memory. 
 The status bar is still there and can be accessed by the system.

Going to the .plist and changing the value for Status Bar Hidden at Startup

The .plist file contains various settings that define how your app should behave on different platforms. Changing the StatusBarHidden setting in this file does not work as expected.

// code from the question
 plist file values

This is because the status bar is set by the system, and changing the value in the .plist file only affects its visibility at startup; it does not actually hide the status bar.

Setting that same value on the home page for the target

Setting this value on the home page of your app’s target does not work either. The status bar is a part of the screen and cannot be removed by setting a value in the .plist file.

// code from the question
 // Setting that same value on the home page for the target 

Setting - (BOOL)prefersStatusBarHidden

The last method attempted is to set this delegate method:

- (BOOL)prefersStatusBarHidden {
    return YES;
}

However, this approach also fails.

Understanding Why Previous Methods Failed

The previous methods failed because they did not properly understand how the status bar works in iOS. The status bar is a part of the screen and cannot be removed by setting a value in the .plist file or by calling specific methods.

Solution: Using setNeedsStatusBarAppearanceUpdate

To fix this issue, you need to call [self setNeedsStatusBarAppearanceUpdate];. This method tells iOS that your app’s appearance has changed and that it should update the status bar accordingly.

// code from the answer
if ([self respondsToSelector:@selector(setNeedsStatusBarAppearanceUpdate)]) {
    // iOS 7
    [self prefersStatusBarHidden];
    [self performSelector:@selector(setNeedsStatusBarAppearanceUpdate)];
} else {
    // iOS 6
    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] setStatusBarHidden:YES withAnimation:UIStatusBarAnimationSlide];
}

Final Solution: Setting prefersStatusBarHidden Delegate Method

To finally fix this issue, you need to create a delegate method that returns YES when asked:

- (BOOL)prefersStatusBarHidden {
    return YES;
}

This method tells iOS that the status bar should be hidden. By calling [self setNeedsStatusBarAppearanceUpdate];, you ensure that the status bar is updated correctly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, hiding the status bar in iOS apps can be a tricky task. The previous methods attempted by users failed because they did not properly understand how the status bar works. However, by using setNeedsStatusBarAppearanceUpdate and setting the delegate method - (BOOL)prefersStatusBarHidden, you can successfully hide the status bar.

By understanding the underlying reasons behind why previous methods failed and following these steps, you’ll be able to create iOS apps with a properly hidden status bar.

Last modified on 2024-06-02