Tap.
Home, Back and Recents without a system gesture.
Coming soon to Android
Every navigation button, within thumb reach
NavOverlay puts Home, Back, Scroll and Recents into a small pill that floats above whatever app you are using. Park it wherever your thumb already rests.
- Free, with no ads
- Android 7.0 and up
- No internet permission
Coming soon
Coming soon
What the controls do
Scroll.
Move a long page up or down from one fixed spot.
Place.
Left, right, top or bottom, at the size you choose.
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No sounds
Silent by design
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No account
Nothing to sign up for
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No internet permission
Your screen stays on your phone
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Works everywhere
Any app, any screen
Getting around your phone should not depend on how far your thumb can stretch.
Features
Six things it does, and nothing it does not
Every setting below ships in the first release. There is no pro tier holding the useful half hostage.
Every control within thumb reach
Home, Back, Scroll up, Scroll down and Recents live in one pill you can park on any edge, so none of them depend on a swipe from the bottom of the screen.
It fades out until you want it
Opacity runs from 10 percent to 100 percent. At the 50 percent default the buttons sit quietly over your reading without hiding a word of it.
Sized and placed for your hands
Scale the buttons from 50 percent to 150 percent and move the pill to the left, right, top or bottom edge. Two sliders and an edge picker, then you are finished.
The same buttons in every app
NavOverlay runs on Android's accessibility service, so the controls behave identically in your browser, your messages and your home screen.
Record a routine once, replay it in one tap
Show it a fiddly sequence one time, taps, typing and scrolling included, and it becomes a button in the pill. Playback can stop at a checkpoint and wait for you before it carries on.
Five buttons by default, yours to rebuild
Behind the pill sits a catalog of about twenty actions, from notifications to screenshots. Pick the ones you use, recolor them, stack them in a strip or fan them into an arc, and let profiles swap the whole set per app.
How it works
Two switches to flip, then it stays out of your way
NavOverlay needs to draw over other apps, and it needs to act on your behalf through the accessibility service. Beyond a small vibration permission for haptic feedback, nothing else is asked for, and there is no account to create.
Setup takes about a minute
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Step 1
Allow it to draw over other apps
Tap the first button on the setup screen. Android opens the Display over other apps switch for you.
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Step 2
Turn on the NavOverlay service
Tap the second button, find NavOverlay under Downloaded apps, and switch it on. The pill appears straight away.
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Step 3
Park it and forget it
Pick an edge, set the size and the opacity, then close the app. The controls stay exactly where you left them.
Accessibility and privacy
Why an accessibility service, and what it never does
Pressing Home, Back or Recents on your behalf is something only Android's accessibility service can do, and recording or replaying a routine works through the same door. The service acts only when you tap a button: during a routine it captures the steps you perform and reads the screen's layout just enough to find the same targets again, and none of what it sees can leave the phone, because the app has no network access.
What it asks for
- Display over other apps. So the pill can sit above the app you are in.
- The NavOverlay accessibility service. So a tap can trigger Home, Back, Recents and scrolling, and so your routines can be recorded and replayed.
- Vibration. A short buzz confirms when a routine starts or stops recording.
That is the complete list. You can check it on the Google Play listing under App permissions when the app goes live.
What it never asks for
- Internet access. The app declares no internet permission, so it has no way to send anything off your phone.
- Contacts, location, camera, microphone or files. None of them are declared.
- An account, an email address or an advertising identifier. There is nothing to sign in to.
Every control carries a spoken label, so TalkBack announces Navigate to home screen, Go back, Scroll up, Scroll down and Show recent apps as you move across the pill.
Read the privacy policyAbout
Built by one person, for a short list of reasons
NavOverlay is made by Tyler Jennings. It started with a plain problem: Android's gesture navigation assumes a hand that can reach the bottom edge and swipe cleanly, and plenty of hands cannot. Tremor, limited grip, a phone that outgrew the palm holding it, a screen with a dead strip along one side. The fix did not need to be clever, it needed to be a button that is always there.
The app is free, carries no ads, and will stay that way. There is a donation link inside it for anyone who wants to support the work, and you can always write directly.
Get in touch
- tylerjenningsw@gmail.com
- tylerjenningsw.com
- Donations live inside the app
Questions
The things people ask before they install it
What does NavOverlay actually do?
It draws a small pill of buttons on top of whatever app you are using. Out of the box the buttons trigger Home, Back, Scroll up, Scroll down and Recent apps, and you can swap in more actions or your own recorded routines, so none of it depends on a swipe from the edge of the screen.
Why does it need an accessibility service?
Android only lets an app press Home, Back or Recents on your behalf through the accessibility service, and recording or replaying a routine goes through the same door. The service acts only when you tap a button, and nothing it sees can leave the phone, because the app has no network access.
Does NavOverlay collect or send any of my data?
No. The app declares no internet permission at all, so it has no technical way to send anything anywhere. There are no analytics, no accounts and no advertising identifiers. Your settings, button layouts, profiles and recorded routines all live on the device and are erased when you uninstall.
What is a routine?
A routine is a sequence you record once, taps, typing, scrolling and gestures included, then replay with one tap from the pill. Playback can stop at a checkpoint and wait for you, a routine only ever runs when you press it, and sharing one means copying it to your clipboard, nothing more.
Which Android versions does it work on?
Android 7.0 Nougat and every version after it, which covers phones going back to 2016.
Will the buttons cover up what I am reading?
You choose. Opacity runs from 10 percent to 100 percent and starts at 50 percent, and the pill can sit on the left, right, top or bottom edge. Move it to the quietest part of your screen and it stays there.
Can I change the size of the buttons?
Yes. A slider scales them from 50 percent to 150 percent of the default size, so they can be small and discreet or large enough to hit without looking.
Does it work inside every app?
It works across the system, including your browser, your messages and the home screen. A small number of apps block overlays on certain screens for security reasons, such as some banking and video apps, and Android hides the pill on those screens.
Will it drain my battery?
The overlay is a static view that only does work when you tap it, and the app makes no network requests because it has no network access. Battery impact is negligible.
How much does NavOverlay cost?
Nothing. It is free, has no ads, no subscription and no paid tier. There is an optional donation link inside the app for anyone who wants to support the work.
Is there an iPhone version coming?
Not yet. iOS limits what an app may draw over other apps and which system actions it can trigger, so an iPhone version needs a different approach than a straight port rather than a quick rebuild. It is on the list, and the launch list hears first when there is something to install.
How do I turn it off or remove it?
Switch the NavOverlay service off in Android accessibility settings and the pill disappears immediately. Uninstalling the app removes everything, including the handful of settings it stores on the device.
Who makes NavOverlay?
Tyler Jennings, working alone. Support questions and bug reports go to tylerjenningsw@gmail.com and reach a person, not a queue.
Be there on day one
Leave your address and you will get one email the morning NavOverlay is live on Google Play. No newsletter, no sequence of reminders.
- Free, with nothing to cancel
- No ads and no paid tier
- Uninstall clears everything