Volume Key: Floating Buttons

Volume Key gives you floating volume buttons on screen: a spare set of + and − keys for the moments when the side volume key is worn out, stuck, cracked or hidden under a thick case. Tap them to raise or lower media volume and keep using your phone normally around them.

Physical keys take a beating. After a drop or years of clicks, a volume rocker can stop responding, press itself or need a hard push. Volume Key gives you a working replacement while you decide whether a repair is worth it, and lets you rest a fragile key. It also helps when a holder, mount or rugged case covers the side buttons.

Getting started
• Turn the buttons on in the app and grant Display over other apps when Android asks.
• A slim floating bar with + and − shows up on the edge of the screen, on top of whatever app is open.
• Each tap moves media volume one step, the same step your side key would make.
• Press and drag the bar to any spot. Its position is saved, also after you rotate the screen.

Make the keys yours
• Pick a button size and an opacity level, so the keys are easy to find without getting in the way.
• Stack them vertically or line them up horizontally.
• Add a third key that mutes and unmutes media.
• Decide whether Android's own volume bar appears on each tap, and whether you feel a short vibration.

The sound panel
• Long-press + or − and a panel opens with a slider per sound level.
• Free: the media slider, the ring slider, a media mute switch, and ringer mode with Sound, Vibrate and Silent.
• Premium: sliders for alarm, call and notification volume as well.

Out of sight when you need the space
• While the keyboard is up, the keys move out of the way so they never sit on top of your typing.
• During full-screen video or games they disappear and return once you leave full screen. Either behavior can be turned off.
• The Hide action in the notification tucks them away by hand; Show brings them back.

Other shortcuts
• An ongoing notification with −, + and Show/Hide.
• A Quick Settings tile that turns the floating keys on or off.
• A home-screen widget with + and − for media volume.
• Optional start after a reboot.

When it helps
• A volume rocker that is broken, loose, sticky or presses by itself.
• A phone in a holder or mount where the side keys are hard to reach.
• Keeping a damaged key untouched until it can be repaired.

Ads and Premium
The app is free and shows ads. Premium is optional: it removes all ads, unlocks the alarm, call and notification sliders, and adds six extra colors, among them a translucent Glass look, for the keys and the widget. Choose a monthly or yearly subscription, or a lifetime one-time purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically; you can manage or cancel them whenever you like in Google Play.

Permissions, in plain words
• Display over other apps lets the keys be drawn on top of other apps.
• Notifications (Android 13+) show the control notification; if you decline, the keys keep working.
• Do Not Disturb access is requested only when you choose Silent, since Android counts Silent as a Do Not Disturb setting. Sound and Vibrate never need it.
• Run at startup restores the keys after a reboot and can be switched off.
• Vibrate gives a light buzz on each press and can be switched off.
• Internet is used for ads, Google Play billing, and anonymous crash reports and usage statistics.

Privacy
Volume Key uses no accessibility service, needs no sign-in and never looks at the content of your screen. Settings stay on your phone.

Worth knowing
• On-screen keys stand in for a faulty button; they do not repair the hardware or make the speaker louder than the system allows.
• Android does not allow floating buttons on certain system screens, for example permission dialogs.
• If your phone closes background apps to save battery, the app explains how to keep the keys alive.