User Guide¶
Everything Action Dot can do, and how to set it up.
Getting started¶
- Install Action Dot from Google Play and open it
- On the Permissions screen, turn on Accessibility Service — this is required; the floating button cannot appear without it
- On Android 13 and later, also allow the notification permission so Action Dot can show status notifications while it records
- Return to Action Dot. The floating dot now appears on top of your other apps
Turning on Accessibility Service takes you to Android's own Accessibility settings. Find Action Dot in the list (it may be under "Downloaded apps" or "Installed services"), tap it, and toggle it on. A short tutorial video is available from the permission screen if your device needs extra steps. If the service will not stay on, see Troubleshooting.
The floating button¶
- Tap the dot to run your Single Touch action, or open the menu if you have not set one
- Touch and hold the dot to run your Long Touch action
- Drag the dot anywhere on screen. Turn on Floating Button Position → Snap floating button to edge to have it settle against the nearest edge when you let go
- The dot dims after a few seconds of inactivity (Floating Icon Idle Transparency) and returns to full opacity as soon as you touch it
Set your Single Touch and Long Touch actions from the action-selection screen on the Home tab.
The menu¶
When your Single or Long Touch action is set to Open Main Menu, Action Dot shows one of two menu styles, chosen from Look & Feel → Grid Size:
| Style | Layout |
|---|---|
| 3x3 Grid (Floating Menu) | A radial menu that opens near the dot |
| 4x3 Grid (Bottom Sheet) | A grid that slides up from the bottom of the screen |
Both styles support multiple pages of actions. From the grid editor you can add an action to an empty slot, tap a filled slot to replace it, remove an action, add or delete a page, and reset the whole grid back to its defaults. The menu closes on its own after the time set in Menu Auto Dismiss (never, or 5 to 30 seconds), or as soon as you run an action.
For the 3x3 style, Grid Position places the menu in the centre of the screen or near the button itself.
Actions¶
Action Dot has 40+ actions, grouped here by what they do. Some need a permission the first time you add them — Action Dot only asks for what that specific action requires.
Navigation¶
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Home | Goes to your home screen |
| Back | Goes back, the same as the system Back action |
| Recent Apps | Opens your recent apps list |
| Open Notifications | Opens the notification shade |
| Open Quick Settings | Opens Quick Settings |
| Open Power Menu | Opens the power/restart menu |
| Open Main Menu | Opens the Action Dot menu |
Capture & Recording¶
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Take Screenshot | Triggers Android's own screenshot, saved by the system |
| Start Screen Recording | Records your screen, with a Stop action in the ongoing notification |
| Silent Photo – Front/Rear Camera | Takes a photo with no camera preview shown on screen |
| Silent Video – Front/Rear Camera | Records video with no camera preview shown on screen |
| Silent Audio Recording | Records audio from the microphone |
Screen recording, silent video and silent audio all show an ongoing notification with a Stop action, unless you turn that off. An auto-stop timer (never, or 15 seconds to 30 minutes) can end a recording for you. For screen recording, choose whether to include no audio, device audio only, or the microphone, from that action's recording settings. Silent captures from the rear camera, and silent audio recording, are Pro features — see Free and Pro.
Everything you capture is saved to your device and appears in Action Dot's own Media tab — see Storage and your recordings.
Media & Sound¶
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Play / Pause Media | Plays or pauses whatever is currently playing |
| Next Track / Previous Track | Skips to the next or previous track |
| Open Volume Panel | Opens the system volume panel |
| Adjust Volume | Opens Action Dot's own volume control |
| Toggle Sound / Vibrate | Cycles your ringer between sound, vibrate and silent |
| Toggle Do Not Disturb | Turns Do Not Disturb on or off |
Media actions work by sending the same play/pause/skip signal your headphone buttons would, so they work with whatever app is currently playing. Next Track, Previous Track and Ring Mode are Pro features.
Device Controls¶
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Toggle Flashlight | Turns your rear flash on or off, with an optional auto-off timer |
| Toggle Brightness | Switches between a minimum and maximum brightness level you set |
| Dim Screen / Brighten Screen | Steps brightness down or up by about 10% |
| Turn Screen Off | Locks the screen |
| Toggle Auto-Rotate | Turns screen auto-rotation on or off |
| Toggle WiFi / Toggle Bluetooth / Toggle Airplane Mode | Opens the relevant system panel or settings screen so you can switch it, since newer Android versions do not let apps do this directly |
| Location | Opens your device's location settings |
Utilities¶
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Calculator | Opens Action Dot's built-in calculator |
| Scroll to Top / Scroll to Bottom | Simulates a swipe to jump to the top or bottom of the current screen |
| Scan QR Code | Scans a QR code using your camera, decoded on your device |
| Open Favorite Website | Opens a web address you set, in your browser |
| Call a Contact | Opens the dialer with a contact you pick, ready to call |
| Open Assistant | Opens your device's voice assistant |
| Open An App | Launches an app you choose |
| Open App Activity (Advanced) | Launches a specific screen inside another app, for advanced users |
| Choose Apps | Shows a row of your Most Used, Recently Used, or a Custom Selected set of apps to launch |
| Run Automation | Sends a signal to an automation app — see Home screen shortcuts and automation |
Scan QR Code, Choose Apps (all three variants) and Open App Activity (Advanced) are Pro features.
Storage and your recordings¶
Open the Media tab to see everything Action Dot has captured: screen recordings, silent front and rear camera videos, silent front and rear camera photos, and silent audio recordings. From there you can play a file, rename it, share it, or delete it. Files are also scanned into your device's regular Gallery/Photos and Files apps, the same as anything else you record or photograph.
Quick Apps¶
The Choose Apps action shows a row of app icons above the floating button so you can jump straight into one:
- Most Used and Recently Used build their list from your device's app usage history, which requires granting Usage Access the first time
- Custom Selected shows only the apps you pick yourself
The row dismisses itself after the time set in Dismiss Quick Apps (5 seconds to 1 minute), or tap the same action again to close it early.
Home screen shortcuts and automation¶
- Home screen shortcuts: from Action Dot Actions, pick any single action to create a shortcut icon for it on your home screen — useful for one-tap access to something like Screenshot or Toggle Flashlight without opening the menu at all
- Run Automation: triggers Tasker, MacroDroid or Automate if you have one installed, or shows a notification naming the action for any other automation app you configure. See each app's own setup instructions from the Run Automation action's settings
Appearance¶
Open Look & Feel to customise how Action Dot looks and behaves:
- Menu Background Color and Floating Icon Style — some colours and styles are Pro-exclusive
- Floating Icon Size — from 0.5x to 2.0x
- Floating Button Position — snap to the nearest edge, or leave it wherever you drop it
- Menu Background Opacity, Menu Background Brightness and Menu Icon Size — fine-tune how the menu looks
- Floating Icon Idle Transparency — how much the dot fades after a few seconds of inactivity
- Grid Size and Grid Position — see The menu
- Long Touch Action and Menu Auto Dismiss
- Theme — Follow system, Light or Dark
Settings¶
Open Settings for:
- Upgrade to Pro
- App Language — 18 languages
- Haptic Feedback — a vibration when you tap the button or a menu item
- Disable in Landscape Mode — hides the dot while your device is turned sideways
- Disable on Call — pauses the dot during calls; asks for phone-state permission the first time you turn it on
- Disable on Lock Screen — hides the dot on your lock screen
- Disable Battery Optimization — see Troubleshooting if the dot keeps disappearing
- Blacklisted Apps — pick apps where the dot should hide itself completely
- Restore Purchase
Free and Pro¶
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Floating button, drag and reposition | Yes | Yes |
| Actions | Most of the 40+ actions | All of them, including Choose Apps (Most Used, Recently Used, Custom Selected), Open App Activity (Advanced), Scan QR Code, rear-camera silent photo and video, Silent Audio Recording, Next Track, Previous Track and Toggle Sound/Vibrate |
| Colours and icon styles | Most options | All options |
| Ads | Shown in Action Dot's own screens, never in the floating button or its menus | None |
Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase, handled by Google Play. See the Terms of Service for details.