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Help Center

Everything you need to get started and troubleshoot Fluid Friction.

On an iPhone or iPad?

The guides below cover the Android app, which draws friction over the apps you choose. iOS does not let any app draw over another, so the iPhone and iPad version (iOS 17 or later) works differently: the friction lives in Fluid Friction's own browser for social sites and any site you add, and native apps are handled with Apple's Screen Time controls, which you grant on first launch. There is no accessibility service and no overlay permission to enable. Anything not covered here, email [email protected] and we'll walk you through it.

Getting Started

First-Time Setup

Follow these steps to get Fluid Friction running on your Android device:

  1. Download Fluid Friction from the Google Play Store
  2. Open the app and complete the welcome tutorial
  3. Enable Accessibility Service when prompted (required for friction to work)
  4. Grant overlay permission so we can draw the friction wave
  5. Choose your apps: select which social media apps to monitor
  6. Set friction intensity: start with Gentle and adjust as needed
  7. Open a monitored app and start scrolling to see friction in action

Enabling Accessibility Service

The Accessibility Service is required for Fluid Friction to detect when you're using monitored apps and to track your scroll gestures. Here's how to enable it:

  1. When prompted in the app, tap "Enable Accessibility"
  2. This opens your device's Accessibility settings
  3. Find and tap "Fluid Friction" in the list
  4. Toggle the switch to "On"
  5. Confirm the permission dialog that appears
  6. Return to Fluid Friction, the app should now show as active

Note: We only use this permission to detect app switching and scroll gestures. We never read screen content, messages, or any personal data. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Granting Overlay Permission

The overlay permission lets Fluid Friction draw the friction wave on top of other apps. Without it, you won't see the visual friction effect.

  1. When prompted, tap "Grant Overlay Permission"
  2. Find Fluid Friction in the list of apps
  3. Enable "Allow display over other apps"
  4. Return to Fluid Friction

Choosing Your Apps

Fluid Friction works with 12 popular social media apps. Friction only activates in apps you select:

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • X (Twitter)
  • Facebook
  • Snapchat
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Threads
  • Discord
  • Twitch

You can change your selection anytime in Settings > Monitored Apps.

Permissions Explained

Required Permissions

Accessibility Service

Detects when monitored apps are open and tracks scroll gestures to animate the friction wave. This is the core permission that makes Fluid Friction work.

Display Over Other Apps

Draws the friction wave overlay on top of your social media apps. Without this, you wouldn't see the visual friction effect.

Notifications

Shows a persistent notification when friction is active. This is required by Android for apps running foreground services.

Optional Permissions

Usage Access (Screen Time)

Enables the screen time analytics feature, showing how much time you spend in each monitored app. Grant this in Settings > Apps > Special Access > Usage Access.

NFC

Enables physical NFC trigger tags. Tap your phone on a programmed NFC tag to instantly toggle friction on or off.

Features & Settings

Friction Intensity

Choose how much resistance the friction wave creates:

  • Gentle: Light resistance, easy to scroll through. Good for getting started.
  • Moderate: Balanced resistance that creates noticeable pause moments without being frustrating.
  • Intense: Strong resistance that requires deliberate effort to overcome. For serious digital wellness commitment.

Smart Friction Scheduling

Automatically adjust friction based on time of day:

  • Set different intensity levels for morning, afternoon, evening, and night
  • Create custom schedules for weekdays vs. weekends
  • Schedule friction-free periods when you need uninterrupted access
  • Set "wind down" times with maximum friction before bed

Feature Blocking

Block specific addictive features within apps:

  • Instagram Reels: Block the endless video feed
  • YouTube Shorts: Block the short-form video section
  • TikTok FYP: Block the For You Page

Feature blocking uses pattern detection. Some app updates may temporarily affect detection accuracy.

App Blocking

Set daily limits on how many times you can open certain apps:

  • Set a maximum number of app opens per day
  • When you hit the limit, friction becomes maximum intensity
  • Reset happens at midnight
  • View your remaining opens in the status notification

NFC Triggers

Use physical NFC tags as friction toggles:

  1. Enable NFC permission in the app
  2. Get any writable NFC tag (available online for ~$1 each)
  3. Use the app to program the tag
  4. Place tags around your home, tap to toggle friction

Ideas: Put a tag on your desk to enable focus mode, or on your nightstand for wind-down time.

Focus Mode Timer

Start timed focus sessions with maximum friction:

  • Choose preset durations (15, 30, 45, 60 minutes) or set custom time
  • Friction stays at maximum intensity during the session
  • Get notified when your focus session ends
  • Track completed sessions in your stats

Screen Time Analytics

Track your usage patterns (requires Usage Access permission):

  • Daily and weekly usage summaries per app
  • Time spent vs. friction encounters
  • Progress trends over time
  • Data stored locally, never leaves your device

Troubleshooting

Friction Not Appearing

If the friction wave doesn't show when scrolling:

  • Check that the Accessibility Service is enabled (Settings > Accessibility > Fluid Friction)
  • Verify overlay permission is granted (Settings > Apps > Fluid Friction > Display over other apps)
  • Make sure the current app is in your monitored apps list
  • Check if you're in a scheduled friction-off period
  • Try disabling and re-enabling the Accessibility Service

Battery Drain

If you notice higher battery usage:

  • Some battery impact (3-8% daily) is normal for any accessibility service
  • Reduce the number of monitored apps if you don't use them all
  • Use Smart Friction to disable friction during low-usage periods
  • Check if your device has aggressive battery optimization affecting the service
  • On Samsung/Xiaomi/OPPO devices, exempt Fluid Friction from battery optimization

App Conflicts

If Fluid Friction interferes with other apps:

  • Other accessibility services may conflict, try disabling them temporarily
  • Game boosters and performance modes can interfere, add Fluid Friction as an exception
  • Screen recorders may not capture the overlay correctly, this is expected behavior
  • Some banking apps block overlays for security, friction won't appear in these apps

Accessibility Service Turning Off

If the service keeps disabling itself:

  • Exempt Fluid Friction from battery optimization in device settings
  • On Samsung: Settings > Battery > App power management > Never sleeping apps
  • On Xiaomi: Settings > Battery > App battery saver > Fluid Friction > No restrictions
  • On OPPO/Realme: Settings > Battery > Disable Auto-start manager restrictions
  • Some devices disable accessibility services after updates, re-enable manually

Performance Issues

If scrolling feels sluggish:

  • Close unused background apps to free up memory
  • Restart your device if it's been running for a long time
  • Check if you have many accessibility services running, each one uses resources
  • On older devices (pre-2020), friction animations may be less smooth

Notifications Not Working

If you don't see the status notification:

  • Check notification permissions for Fluid Friction in device settings
  • Make sure you haven't muted the Fluid Friction notification channel
  • Some devices require additional notification permissions after Android 13
  • The notification may be collapsed, check your notification shade

Premium Not Activating

If premium themes aren't unlocking after purchase:

  • Force close Fluid Friction and reopen it
  • Check that you're signed into the same Google account used for purchase
  • Open the Play Store app and let it sync your purchases
  • Try the "Restore Purchases" option in Fluid Friction settings
  • Contact [email protected] if issues persist

Compatibility

Android Version

Fluid Friction requires Android 7.0 (Nougat) or later. We recommend Android 10 or later for the best experience.

Device Compatibility

Fluid Friction works on most Android devices. Some manufacturer customizations require additional configuration:

Samsung

Add Fluid Friction to "Never sleeping apps" in Battery settings. One UI may require you to re-enable the accessibility service after system updates.

Xiaomi / MIUI

Enable auto-start permission. Set battery saver to "No restrictions". Lock the app in the recent apps list to prevent it from being killed.

OPPO / Realme / OnePlus

Disable auto-start manager restrictions. Allow background activity. ColorOS may require you to lock the app in the task manager.

Huawei / Honor

Add Fluid Friction to the "Protected apps" list. Disable power-intensive prompt for the app. Allow auto-launch in app settings.

Known Limitations

  • Friction doesn't appear in apps that block overlays (banking apps, some secure apps)
  • Screen recording apps may not capture the friction overlay
  • Split-screen mode may affect friction positioning
  • Foldable devices: friction position may need adjustment when switching screen modes

Battery & Performance

Expected Battery Impact

Fluid Friction typically uses 3-8% of daily battery, depending on:

  • How often you use monitored apps
  • How many apps you're monitoring
  • Your friction intensity setting
  • Your device model and battery health

Optimization Tips

  • Only monitor apps you actively want friction on
  • Use Smart Friction to automatically disable during work hours if needed
  • The Gentle intensity uses slightly less battery than Intense
  • Keeping your device cool helps maintain optimal battery performance
  • If you notice excessive drain, try toggling the service off and on

Privacy & Security FAQ

What data do you collect?

As little as we can, and most of it never leaves your device. The friction engine, screen-time ledger, behavioural patterns, focus / pomodoro / todo data, and your PIN live only on your phone. If you sign in to the Friends social layer, your nickname, friend code, streaks, health score, and content sync to Google Firebase. Crash reporting, analytics, and the cloud AI coach are off by default and need your opt-in. Full breakdown in our Privacy Policy.

Can you read my messages or see my screen?

No. The accessibility service only reads the foreground app's package name and accessibility event types (scroll, window state, view clicked/focused). It does not call getText() or getContentDescription() on your screen. Passwords, chat messages, banking screens, and page content are not accessed. Before anything is crash-logged, event data is passed through a sanitiser that strips any text.

Is my data sent anywhere?

Only for features that need the cloud: the Friends social layer (Google Firebase), the cloud wellbeing report (Google Firebase AI Logic with Gemini, opt-in), crash reporting (Firebase Crashlytics, opt-in), analytics (opt-in), Play Billing (if you buy Fluid Pro), and Play Integrity (device-only, no PII). The rest stays on your device.

How do I delete my data?

For the Friends account and server-side data, open the Friends tab > profile > Account > Delete account, or visit /delete-account. For local data only, use Android Settings > Apps > Fluid Friction > Storage > Clear Data, or uninstall the app.

Do you show ads or sell my data?

No. We do not run ads, embed advertising SDKs, or sell personal information. Google Play Advertising ID is explicitly disabled for Fluid Friction. Our subprocessors are Google Firebase and Google Play, nothing else.

Why do you need so many permissions?

Each permission is tied to a specific feature. Accessibility + overlay + foreground service power the friction engine. Usage access powers screen-time analytics. Notification listener powers quiet-hours rules (optional). Location powers Spatial Profiles via Wi-Fi SSID (optional). Microphone powers voice quick-add (optional). Camera powers friend-code scanning (optional). Full per-permission breakdown in our Privacy Policy.

Contact Support

Email Support

For help with Fluid Friction, contact us at:

[email protected]

We typically respond within 24-48 hours.

When Contacting Support

Please include:

  • Your device model (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S23, Pixel 8)
  • Android version (Settings > About Phone)
  • Fluid Friction version (in app settings)
  • A description of the issue
  • Steps you've already tried

Bug Reports

Found a bug? Email [email protected] with details about what happened, what you expected to happen, and steps to reproduce.

Feature Requests

Have an idea for Fluid Friction? We'd love to hear it! Send suggestions to [email protected]

See also: Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Contact Us