Floating memory bubbles on the Google Pixel 10

The Google Pixel 10 runs Bubbles In Time's floating memory layer in full — and clean stock Android is the bubble layer's most natural habitat. Here's the Google Pixel 10-specific picture: setup, behavior, and what to expect.

On this phone specifically

On the Google Pixel 10, stock Android 16/17 exposes Android's standard 'display over other apps' permission during Bubbles In Time's first-run setup — grant it once and memory bubbles can drift over the home screen, messaging, and every app you use. Bubbles never steal focus from the keyboard or playback; they float, you decide. Appearance intervals run from every 30 minutes to every 4 hours, and Android's own scheduling floor keeps the layer battery-boring.

Why it suits the Google Pixel 10

Since Android 17 made floating bubbles the platform's own multitasking language, a memory bubble on a 2025 Google feels native rather than novel — the interaction is familiar; only the contents change. Instead of another app icon, the bubble holds a photo from years ago, a short video, or a message thread you saved because it mattered. The Mystery Photo option keeps one genuine surprise in the rotation.

Setup on the Google Pixel 10 in five minutes

Install from Google Play ($2.99, once — no subscription, no ads, no account). Add your first memories from the gallery, allow the overlay permission when stock Android 16/17 asks, pick a frequency, enable Floating Bubbles, and fire the Test Bubble to confirm. From that moment the Google Pixel 10 does something no stock gallery does: it hands your past back to you during ordinary use, entirely on-device.