How to set up floating photo overlays step by step on Android.

Android has one permission that makes floating photo overlays possible: the ability to draw over other apps. Every other part of the setup flows from there. Grant that permission, add your photos, set a schedule, and your memories start finding you throughout the day.

Here's exactly how it works.

The permission you need and why it exists

Android's "display over other apps" permission — formally called the system alert window permission — allows an app to render content on top of the current screen. It was originally designed for chat heads and floating windows. Bubbles In Time uses it to display photo overlays.

The permission is considered sensitive because it affects the full screen, so Android requires you to grant it manually through Settings rather than through a standard permission dialog. This is a one-time setup. Once granted, the app can surface photos over any other app until you revoke it.

On Android 11 and later, you'll find this under Settings → Apps → Special app access → Display over other apps. On older versions, the path varies slightly by manufacturer, but the permission name is the same.

Setting up Bubbles In Time from scratch

Install Bubbles In Time from the Google Play Store. When you open the app for the first time, an onboarding sequence walks you through the permission setup. It will take you directly to the correct Settings page. Flip the switch, return to the app, and the permission is active.

From there:

• Tap "Add Memory" to add photos from your gallery
• You can add individual photos or select multiple at once
• Photos are stored locally — nothing leaves your device
• Set your preferred surfacing frequency in Settings
• The app runs in the background and begins surfacing photos immediately

The first bubble will appear within the first surfacing interval. If you set hourly, expect to see your first photo within an hour. If you set 30-minute intervals, sooner.

What the overlay looks like in practice

Bubbles appear as circular photo frames — roughly the size of a large coin on most phones. They appear in a corner of the screen and can be dismissed with a tap or swipe. They don't interrupt touch input to whatever is behind them; you can still interact with the app underneath.

The visual is intentionally soft. No hard borders, no notification badge, no UI chrome. Just the photo, circular, slightly elevated, present. The design is meant to feel like a physical photograph placed on a desk rather than a digital alert demanding response.

If you want to see a photo larger, tap it. It expands to full screen. Tap again to dismiss. The background app is still exactly where you left it.

Battery and performance what to expect

The overlay permission sometimes triggers concern about battery drain. BIT is designed to be lightweight. The app doesn't poll continuously — it schedules alarms at your chosen interval and wakes briefly to surface a photo, then goes back to sleep. This is the same mechanism Android uses for its own scheduled notifications.

On most devices, BIT's background battery use is negligible — comparable to a weather app checking conditions periodically. If your device manufacturer uses aggressive battery optimization (Samsung, Huawei, and some Xiaomi devices are known for this), you may need to add BIT to the battery whitelist to ensure bubbles surface reliably. The app's settings screen will flag this if it detects restricted background activity.

Managing your photo library inside BIT

BIT maintains its own internal collection separate from your device gallery. When you add a photo, it's added to BIT's library. When a bubble surfaces, it picks randomly from that library. You control what's in there.

This matters because it means you curate intentionally. You're not surfacing every photo on your phone — you're surfacing the ones you actually want to encounter unexpectedly. Read more about the curation philosophy behind BIT.

Adding more photos increases variety. Most people find a library of 20-50 photos creates a surfacing experience that feels fresh without being random to the point of incoherence. Your mileage will vary depending on how frequently you set the interval.

What's coming in future versions

The current version surfaces photos on a recurring time-based schedule. Upcoming versions will add:

• Time-specific reminder bubbles — surface a photo at a particular time on a particular day
• Person bubbles — show a contact's photo when they send you a message
• Outbound bubbles — schedule a photo to appear on someone else's device

See the full roadmap for what's in development. If there's a feature you want that isn't listed, suggest it directly.

The floating overlay infrastructure supports all of these features. Once it's set up, everything built on top of it works the same way — photos and moments finding you, rather than waiting to be found.