How To Keep A Timer Visible Over Other Apps On Android
Android can show a small window on top of other apps, so a timer stays in view while you read, cook or watch a video. It needs one permission that you turn on in Settings. If you would rather not give it, the notification can do the same job.
Why A Timer Disappears
On Android, a timer app usually lives in its own screen. As soon as you switch to a recipe, a browser or a game, the countdown is out of sight, and the only way to check it is to pull down the notifications or switch back. A floating timer solves that: it stays on top of the app you are using.
Allowing “Display Over Other Apps”
Windows on top of other apps need a special permission called Display over other apps. Android lets you grant it only from Settings, and since Android 11 the settings button opens the list of all apps rather than a single page:
- In TypeTick, tap Floating at the top of the timer screen, then Open settings.
- In the list of apps, find TypeTick.
- Turn the switch on and go back.
Without this permission TypeTick still works: the timer runs in the notification, and the alarm rings at zero.
Using The Floating Pill
With a timer running, leave the app and the pill appears with the time left.
- Tap it to open the controls: pause, +5 minutes, skip phase for a Pomodoro, stop, and open the app.
- Drag it anywhere on the screen. Let go near an edge and it snaps to that side; it remembers where you left it.
- Drop it on the × that appears at the bottom while dragging to close it. It comes back with the next timer, or when you tap Floating again.
- At zero it pulses until you touch it.
In Settings › Floating window you can also set its opacity, from 40% to fully opaque, so it covers less of what is underneath, and reset its position.
Only The Notification
Some people prefer nothing on top of their apps. In that case, turn off Show automatically in Settings › Floating window. The pill will appear only when you ask for it with the Floating button.
The notification still shows the countdown, which the system updates by itself, with pause, +5 min, skip phase and stop. On Android 16, on phones that support it, the countdown also appears in the status bar as a Live Update, a small chip you can see from any screen. TypeTick shows only one of the two at a time: when the pill is on screen, the notification stays in the list without the chip.
On The Lock Screen
Windows over other apps are not shown on the lock screen. There, the notification is what you see, and the alarm rings at zero as usual.
Quick Checklist
- The pill does not appear: check that Display over other apps is on for TypeTick, and that Show automatically is on.
- You closed it on the ×: tap Floating in the app to bring it back.
- It is in the way: drag it to a corner or lower the opacity.
The pill is handy for deadlines on the clock too: see how to count down to a time instead of a duration.