Setup guides, permissions, and straight answers.

If the liquid wave does not rise when you drag inside a social app:

• Verify the Accessibility Service is enabled under Android Settings > Accessibility > Fluid Friction.
• Confirm overlay permission is granted under Settings > Apps > Fluid Friction > Display over other apps.
• Check that the app you are scrolling is enabled in your Monitored Apps list.
• Check whether Smart Friction is currently in a scheduled friction-free window.
• Toggle the Accessibility Service off and back on if a system update recently completed.

Some Android manufacturers aggressively stop background services unless exempted:

• Exempt Fluid Friction from battery optimization in your phone's system settings.
• Samsung (One UI): Settings > Battery > Background usage limits > Never sleeping apps > add Fluid Friction.
• Xiaomi (MIUI / HyperOS): Settings > Apps > Manage apps > Fluid Friction > enable Autostart and set Battery saver to No restrictions.
• OPPO / Realme / OnePlus: Settings > Battery > More settings > Optimize battery use > Fluid Friction > Don't optimize, and lock the app in Recents.
• Huawei / Honor: Settings > Battery > App launch > Fluid Friction > Manage manually (enable Auto-launch, Secondary launch, and Run in background).

iOS sandboxes apps so no app can draw an overlay over another native app:

• Scroll friction on iPhone runs inside Fluid Friction's dedicated built-in browser for social feeds and any custom site you add.
• Native social apps on your Home Screen are managed through Apple's Screen Time FamilyControls permission, which you grant during onboarding.
• If native app shields do not trigger, open iPhone Settings > Screen Time and verify Fluid Friction still has Screen Time authorization.
• There is no Accessibility Service or overlay permission required on iPhone.

Expected daily battery impact is 3% to 8% depending on how long you scroll:

• Only monitor the social apps where you actively want scroll resistance.
• Use Smart Friction schedules so the overlay rests during low-risk hours.
• Gentle intensity renders fewer particle frames than Intense.
• The physics canvas sleeps completely whenever you are outside monitored apps or your screen is off.

Fluid Friction is designed never to block critical or sensitive screens:

• Touch the screen with 3 fingers simultaneously at any time to immediately dismiss the overlay.
• Banking, payment, password manager, authenticator, and crypto apps are permanently excluded.
• Friction automatically steps aside inside direct-message threads and keyboard typing views.
• Game boosters or third-party screen dimmers can conflict with overlays; add Fluid Friction as an exception if needed.

Why Android shows a foreground service notification while protection is active:

• Android 13+ requires a visible notification for any foreground service that keeps your focus tools alive.
• You can minimize or collapse the notification channel in Android Settings > Apps > Fluid Friction > Notifications so it stays silent in the shade.

Every functional focus tool is free; if you subscribed to Fluid Pro for the full theme catalogue:

• Open Fluid Friction Settings and tap Restore Purchases.
• Verify you are signed into the same Google Play or Apple ID account used at checkout.
• Force-close and reopen the app so the store receipt refreshes.
• If it still does not appear, email [email protected] and we will resolve it directly.

As little as possible, and core usage data never leaves your phone. The friction engine, screen-time ledger, behavioral patterns, focus and Pomodoro timers, and your PIN live locally on your device. If you opt into the Friends social leaderboard, your nickname, friend code, streaks, and health score sync via Google Firebase. Crash reporting, analytics, and cloud AI reports are off by default and require explicit opt-in.

Read the Privacy Policy →

No. On Android, the Accessibility Service only checks the foreground package name and scroll/window event types. It never calls getText() or getContentDescription() on your views. Passwords, chat messages, banking screens, and feed text are never read or stored. Before any opt-in crash log is written, event metadata passes through a strict text sanitizer.

Only for optional features that require the cloud: the Friends leaderboard (Google Firebase), opt-in cloud wellbeing reports (Firebase AI Logic with Gemini), opt-in crash logs (Firebase Crashlytics), and store billing verification. Everything else runs 100% on-device.

For a Friends social account and server-side records, open the Friends tab > Profile > Account > Delete account, or use our web deletion page. For local device data, clear app storage in system settings or uninstall the app.

Open Account Deletion Page →

Never. Fluid Friction contains zero advertising SDKs, never sells user data, and explicitly disables the Google Play Advertising ID.

Every permission maps to a specific user-facing tool: Accessibility + Overlay power the physical scroll wave; Usage Access powers local screen-time charts; NFC powers physical tag triggers; Wi-Fi SSID location powers optional Spatial Profiles. Optional permissions are only requested when you turn on that specific feature.

Full permission breakdown →