"Always on top" is a desktop idea — the little pin that keeps a window above the others. On a phone the equivalent is an overlay window: a view the system draws above every app, that stays put while you switch between them. Android has supported this since the beginning; it's how chat heads, screen filters and floating video work. StickyHover uses the same mechanism for something simpler: a sticky note that doesn't go away.
What an always-on-top note actually is
When you tap Float on screen, StickyHover asks Android for permission to draw over other apps, then creates a small window that carries your note. The window is real: you can drag it, resize it from the corner, scroll long text inside it, tap the pencil to edit the words in place, or shrink it into a coloured sphere when you need the screen back. Open Chrome, a game, a spreadsheet or a video call — the note rides along.
The app underneath keeps the whole display. That's the difference from split screen, where you give up half of it, and from picture-in-picture, which only works for video.
When a note on top beats every other option
- Trading and investing. Entry, stop and target levels floating over the broker app or a chart — no tab switching mid-trade. With per-app rules (Pro) the plan shows only while the broker app is open.
- Phone calls. A script, a checklist of questions, an account number. Mark a note as your call note (Pro) and it appears the moment the phone rings.
- Cooking, workouts, DIY. The recipe or the rep scheme stays over YouTube instead of behind it.
- Studying and language learning. Formulas over the practice app, vocabulary over the reader.
- Coding on a tablet. A snippet or a to-do list over the editor, shrunk to a strip along one edge.
- Copying things across apps. An address, an OTP, a reference number — float it, then paste from it wherever you land.
- Gaming. Build orders, crafting recipes, codes — minimize the note to a sphere between checks, or drop its opacity and park it in a corner.
How small can it get?
Smaller than you'd think. Drag the corner and a note collapses to a one-line strip; long text scrolls inside it in both directions, and the strip remembers its size. Minimize it and it becomes a sphere in the note's own colour. Pro adds seven more minimized shapes in three sizes — a pill showing the first word, an edge tab, a corner fold, a hairline that hugs the screen edge — so a "parked" note can be almost invisible until you tap it.
What's free and what's Pro
Free One floating note at a time, free resize with two-way scrolling, edit in place, minimize to a sphere, per-note opacity, the quick-add bubble, and the whole notes app underneath it — unlimited notes, colours, checklists, templates, tags, search, widget, camera scan, JSON export and import.
Pro Several floating notes at once with a card-deck cascade, per-app show/hide rules, auto-float on calls, seven extra minimized shapes, glass blur and spring physics, locked notes, reminders with sound and spoken readout, themes and more. Monthly or annual with a 7-day free trial, or a one-time lifetime purchase.
Setting it up
Install StickyHover, write a note, tap Float on screen and grant Display over other apps when Android asks. That's it — the full walkthrough with per-brand Settings paths and troubleshooting is in How to keep a note on top of any app on Android.
FAQ
Is an always-on-top note the same as split screen?
No. Split screen gives each app half the display and both stay full-size. An always-on-top note is a small window you size yourself — down to a single line — that sits over the app you're using while that app keeps the whole screen.
Does it work in games and full-screen video?
Yes: an overlay window is drawn above full-screen apps too. If a game needs the taps, minimize the note to a sphere and tap it back when you need it, or lower its opacity and park it in a corner.
Does keeping a note on screen drain the battery?
A floating note is a static window redrawn only when you interact with it, so the cost is negligible. Optional effects like glass blur use a little more on older phones; you can switch each one off.
Can I keep a note on the lock screen?
No. Android does not allow third-party overlays on the secure lock screen. The note returns the moment you unlock.