Soft Keys: Back Button Nav Bar

Contains adsIn-app purchases
52.2K reviews
Content rating
Everyone
10M+
Downloads
Content rating
Everyone
Learn more
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About this app

Soft Keys puts Back, Home and Recents buttons on your screen, on top of every app. Use it when a hardware button is broken, when the gesture navigation on your phone gets in the way, or when you simply prefer classic three-button navigation. No root needed.

Why people use Soft Keys
• A broken or unresponsive Back, Home or Recents button
• Gesture navigation that is hard to use, or swipes that trigger by mistake
• Buttons that are hard to reach on a big phone or tablet
• A navigation bar that looks the way you want

A navigation bar over every app
• Back, Home and Recents keys that float over any app
• Turn the bar on or off with one switch
• Optional rotate key: it appears for 5 seconds when you turn the phone, so you can rotate even with auto-rotate off
• Haptic feedback with Light, Normal or Strong intensity

Long-press actions
Hold a key to run a second action; a normal tap still works as before. Choose from:
• Notifications, Quick Settings, power menu, lock screen (Android 9+), split screen
• Flashlight, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, volume, camera, voice and web search
• Media play/pause, next and previous track
• Open the dialer, browser or Settings
• Pro: launch any app, take a screenshot (Android 9+), hide the bar for 10 seconds

Hide and show
• Swipe down to hide the bar, swipe up from the handle to bring it back
• Auto-hide after a few seconds without a touch
• Hide the bar automatically while the keyboard is open
• Lock the bar so it always stays
• Pro: prevent accidental touches with a smaller hidden handle, and set the handle thickness

Layout
• Row or column orientation
• Place the bar at any edge or corner with a 3×3 position grid
• Set height, width and button spacing
• A separate layout for landscape
• Swap Back and Recents
• Pro: bar style with edge margin and corner roundness for a floating pill

Colors, icons and shapes
• Pick a color for each key and for the bar, or use your own custom color
• 8 icon themes: Default, Classic, Slim, Solid, Ring, Minimal, Compass, Tiles
• Pro: gradient bar (along, across or diagonal), 7 extra icon themes, a custom icon for each key, and Material 3 Expressive key shapes such as circle, flower, gem, clover and heart

Control from anywhere (Pro)
• Show or hide the bar from a notification
• Quick Settings tile to switch the bar on or off

Unlock Pro your way
Get Pro with a subscription, which also removes ads. Or watch one short rewarded ad to unlock a single Pro feature for good.

Your language
The app is available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Indonesian, Turkish and Vietnamese, with light, dark and dynamic color themes.

Accessibility Service API
This app uses the Accessibility Service API to show the Back, Home and Recents keys on screen and to perform the actions you tap: going back, going home, opening recent apps, and the long-press actions you choose (such as the power menu, lock screen, split screen, notifications and screenshot). It is also used to hide the bar while the keyboard is open, if you turn that on.

Soft Keys does not collect, store or share any personal or sensitive information through the Accessibility Service. To hide the bar while typing, it only checks whether a keyboard window is open; it does not read what is on your screen. The app asks for your consent before you turn the service on, and you can turn it off at any time in Settings > Accessibility.

Permissions
• Accessibility service: draws the keys and performs navigation actions
• Display over other apps: needed during setup to show the bar
• Notifications (optional): bar controls and app news
• Do Not Disturb access (optional): only for the Do Not Disturb long-press action

Questions or ideas? Use "Contact us" in the app menu. We read every message.
On-screen Back, Home & Recents navigation bar. Replace broken buttons. No root.
Updated on
Oct 30, 2026

Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
  • No data shared with third parties
    Learn more about how developers declare sharing
  • This app may collect these data types
    App info and performance
  • Data is encrypted in transit
  • Data can’t be deleted

Ratings and reviews

51.8K reviews
Mark Roy
October 11, 2022
This would be perfect if only it didn't sit over the keyboard menu and the tool menu in Snapseed etc. If it could be moved aside to access these things when needed, without having to open the app and change the display settings, it would get 5 stars from me. Could it have a widget option? They can be easily moved – but I guess they can't display over apps. Hmmm. Thanks, it's not a bad fix for the dead buttons on my otherwise good Nokia 8.
1,091 people found this review helpful
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Ramon Hendricks
January 17, 2025
It does what it's suppose to do. 1 of the keys at the bottom of my phone isn't working and this app made it easier to use. It gives back the 3 keys at the button. The only downside is because it's apart of the screen and some phones like the 1 I'm using, the 3 buttons might be separate from the screen itself and having this app now it's on the screen and might make it a little challenging to use certain options because the keys are displayed over it (can be adjusted). but overall it's a good app
345 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
December 3, 2019
it is good, it works but it has a few flaws. i cannot find an option for the 4th flip screen button that comes up, and forces you to accidently push it while you are trying to push something else. then it forces the screen sideways, and even if i try to flip it back it is always the wrong direction. and i cant figure out how to make the button to show up, or get rid of the annoying thing all together. if it keeps happening i am going to delete it.
2,392 people found this review helpful
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What’s new

• 🔄 Change your Pro plan in the app: Weekly, Monthly or Yearly
• 💳 Manage your subscription from the menu
• 🔔 A reminder before your Pro ends
• 🛠️ Bug fixes and performance improvements