I am praying this is something that can be fixed via a software update.
I was able to do that on the Pixel 2 XL in the Verizon store by just expanding it like a webpage. It recognized what I wanted and filled the screen, even stated it was doing it.
I sort of DISLIKE the display. It is very good but the blue shift is really annoying. The colors I think you would get used to it is like calibrating a TV, accurate colors look dull compared to the technicolor infernos they turn floor units into on the floor. But in store the regular Pixel 2 display looks better. 5" is too small for me though.
I REALLY DISLIKE no headphone jack. Regardless of what nice argument the engineers had for abandoning it, marketing should have told them it was a 100% requirement.
I DISLIKE the 18:9 thing. It is better than the 18.5:9 of the Samsungs but is so unnecessary. Tall skinny phones are more unwieldy.
I LOVE most everything else. I think I am going to stick with it. The Pixel Experience (it is NOT really stock android) guaranteed updates, and that camera are enough to elevate it over all the phones.
Personally I think Google made a mistake. They are not the sexiest phones to begin with so the designs should have no compromise in terms of hardware so the FOCUS will only be on the software experience they are developing. The product requirements from marketing should have said, "keep it as small as possible, but the phone will have a 3.5mm jack, flash socket, IP68, wireless charging, no glass back, and look at ways to have a removable battery so it can have the biggest battery possible"