iPhone vs Android: the safe zone is not one rectangle

We measure three phones because one is a lie

FramePad’s overlays are authored on a 1080×1920 design canvas and checked against screenshots from iPhone 15 Pro Max (Safari 18), iPhone 16 Pro Max (Safari 18), and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome). Those three already disagree. The Dynamic Island and home indicator steal vertical room that a punch-hole plus three-button navigation does not, and vice versa. A tab bar that is 163 pixels on one build is 148 on another.

We publish a single overlay per platform that is conservative across those devices: if it is safe on the overlay, it was safe on all three phones on the day we shot them. It may not be safe on a foldable, a mini, or a phone with the font size cranked to maximum. That is disclosed on the contact methodology notes and the about page.

Font scaling is the silent collision

iOS Larger Accessibility Sizes and Android font scale expand native captions. They do not expand your burned-in type. The well grows; the file does not. A two-line caption becomes four. The only defence is gutter. Leave more than the overlay’s caption well, especially on Reels.

How to confirm on device without a lab

Export a 1080×1920 H.264. AirDrop or USB it to the phone. Open it in the destination app as a draft if the app allows, or play it in Photos with the FramePad proof sheet side by side. Draft preview is better because it includes the real chrome. Photos does not.

If you send a bug to FramePad, include the phone, OS, app version, and the diagnostic dump from the contact page. Do not send the media unless you intend to; we do not need it to compare chrome, and we will not ask you to upload it to the site.

Foldables, minis, and why we still publish one overlay

A foldable in cover-screen mode is a different aspect. A mini is a different thumb. Publishing a separate overlay for every panel would imply a precision we do not have. We publish one conservative overlay per platform, shot on three large phones, and we tell you to confirm on device. That is stricter than a fake per-device kit, and more honest.

If you ship exclusively to a foldable audience, pad more. If you ship exclusively to iPhone, you can still use the same overlay — the Dynamic Island is already in the top 10%. The Dynamic Island guide is the title-band rule that falls out of that measurement.