Bubbles are Android's answer to floating chat heads — a small conversation icon that floats on top of whatever you're doing, so you can reply without losing your place. Some people love them; others find them cluttered. Here's how to take full control.
What bubbles are
Bubbles are a system feature (since Android 11) that any chat app can use. When a conversation bubbles, its icon appears as a floating circle you can drag, tap to expand, or swipe away. They're separate from normal notifications — a chat can appear both as a bubble and in the shade.
Turn bubbles on
- Open the chat you want, then tap its notification's settings / gear → choose Bubble this conversation.
- Or globally: Settings → Notifications → Bubbles, allow bubbles for the app, then mark specific chats.
- Google Messages and Facebook Messenger support it out of the box; many others don't.
What bubbles are
Bubbles are small circular icons that float over your home screen and other apps, showing an ongoing conversation. Tap the bubble to expand the chat; drag it around to move it; swipe it off the edge to dismiss. They were introduced in Android 11 and refined in Android 12 and 13.
How bubbles differ from heads-up notifications
The distinction matters:
- Heads-up notification. A temporary banner that slides in, stays a few seconds, then disappears. It is a one-shot alert.
- Bubble. A persistent floating icon that stays on screen until you dismiss it. Tap to open the full chat.
Bubbles are designed for ongoing conversations you want quick access to without opening the app. Heads-up are for one-off alerts.
How to enable bubbles
Bubbles are off by default. To turn them on:
- Settings → Notifications → Bubbles.
- Toggle Allow apps to show bubbles on.
Once enabled, individual apps can choose to send bubbles. Most major chat apps (Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram) respect this setting.
How bubbles appear in practice
When a new message arrives in a chat that has bubbles enabled, a small floating icon appears on your screen. You can:
- Tap to expand into a full chat window.
- Drag the bubble anywhere on screen.
- Long-press for options (open chat, mute, dismiss).
- Drag to the bottom of the screen to dismiss.
Per-app bubble control
Some apps let you override the system setting:
- Messenger. Settings → Bubbles → choose for each conversation.
- WhatsApp. Per-chat notification settings → enable Floating Notifications if available (varies by version).
- Telegram. Settings → Notifications and Sounds → In-app notifications → Floating notifications.
When bubbles get in the way
Bubbles are useful for one or two chats you monitor constantly, but they become intrusive quickly:
- Disable bubbles globally: Settings → Notifications → Bubbles → off.
- Disable for specific chat apps: their own notification settings.
- Use Focus Mode to silence specific chat apps during work hours.
For the broader story, see what is a floating notification, floating notifications on Samsung, and how to turn off floating notifications.
Turn bubbles off
- All apps: Settings → Notifications → Bubbles → set Nothing can bubble (or toggle off "Allow apps to show bubbles").
- One app: in the same Bubbles screen, set that app to Never bubble.
- One chat: open the bubble, tap the bubble icon at the bottom, choose Don't bubble this conversation.
Why bubbles don't appear
- The app doesn't use the bubble API (try Messenger or Google Messages to test).
- Only active, opened conversations bubble — a brand-new chat from someone you've never opened won't.
- A battery optimizer is killing the app in the background; add the app to battery-unrestricted.