UbikiTouch

What UbikiTouch is for

UbikiTouch adds gesture controls on top of Android. You place trigger zones along the edges of the screen, and a swipe from one of them opens a menu or runs an action. Because the gestures sit over whatever is open, they work across other apps rather than inside one of them.

It suits people who repeat the same handful of tasks each day and want those tasks one swipe away. For example, you could set one edge to turn Wi-Fi off, open a particular Gmail label and launch the camera. The developer describes its main purpose as improving your other applications.

The listing says the app has no ads.

Edge swipe triggers and menu styles

Triggers are the edge zones themselves. You can set up to 15, and each one has its own position, size and colours. A thin strip near the top and a larger zone low on one side can coexist, so you can keep frequent actions where your thumb already rests.

Each trigger opens one of four menus: pie, curve, wave or cursor. The menus can be customised, and the listing says that covers the look and feel of each one. Menu choice is a matter of preference, so it is worth trying each style on the zones you use most.

Triggers can be set separately, so one edge can open a pie menu while another opens a curve menu.

Setting up actions for each app

The listing calls per-app actions the app's unique feature. You choose a favourite application and assign actions to each of its screens. An action can be pressing a button, selecting an item or making a swipe, so the same trigger can behave differently in each part of an app.

Actions can be sequenced, so one swipe runs several steps in order. The listing offers this for more complex tasks. Each trigger holds up to 10 actions, which sets the limit on how long a sequence can be from a single zone.

The Pro version offers tasks for an unlimited number of applications. Without it, the number of apps you can set up in this way is narrower.

System controls and shortcuts

Global actions work anywhere, not just inside a chosen app. The listed options include the back button, recent apps, home, the previous app, and toggles for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. Auto-rotate, split screen, sound, brightness and the cursor are also on the list.

You can also launch an app or a shortcut from a swipe. The listing gives a Dropbox folder, a Gmail label, a contact and a route as examples of shortcut targets. The developer keeps the full list of global actions on its FAQ page.

What the Pro version adds

The Pro version adds a remote cursor, access to the recent applications menu, and a slider for adjusting volume or brightness. These are listed as Pro features rather than part of the standard version.

Pro also removes the limit on how many applications can have their own tasks, and it adds more actions, including launching apps and shortcuts. Full menu customisation is included, covering animation, size and colour.

The listing describes these as the features of the Pro version, so they should be checked against the version you install.

Privacy and how the gestures run

The developer says the app is built so that it does not need an internet connection, and that it does not send data over the internet without your knowledge. The privacy policy is linked from the listing for more detail.

The app depends on Android's accessibility service, which has to be switched on before its gestures work. The developer says it uses that service only to run its own functions, and that no data is collected or sent over a network.

Bug reports go to the developer's GitHub page, and the FAQ covers the remaining details.