Oreo (API 26) - drawOverlay + draw over status bar

Question

In android oreo, I can't use WindowManager.LayoutParams.TYPE_SYSTEM_ERROR anymore and must use WindowManager.LayoutParams.TYPE_APPLICATION_OVERLAY instead. The drawback is, that this mode does not draw over the statusbar.

Is there anyway to achieve the old behaviour and be able to draw over the statusbar as well? I've a sidebar app and until now, I allowed the user to have trigger areas on top of the screen as well, which does not work anymore now, because the status bar is overlapping the touchable region on top now...

I'm interested in ANY solution, even if it's only for some devices, like rooted devices for example... As I think there is not normal solution for this problem because the android system does not allow this anymore as stated in the docs (https://developer.android.com/about/versions/oreo/android-8.0-changes.html#o-apps). Still, this does not necessary mean that there is no alternative solution...

Answer 1

Unfortunately, this is no longer possible...

Developers that utilize this feature have opened bug reports on Android’s Issue Tracker (#260787 and #36574245) to protest the change and ask for an alternative API, but a Googler commented on the tracker with the following statement:

Status: Won’t Fix (Intended Behavior)

We have followed up with the product and engineering team and got suggestion that developers can use SHOW_WHEN_LOCKED activities to show when the device is locked, but it is intentionally no longer possible to show over the lockscreen / over the notification shade

and there is only solution for this that you set your target sdk as 25

Answer 2

The docs says that the flag is deprecated for non-system apps. Have you tried making the app a system app?

This constant was deprecated in API level 26. for non-system apps.

Here is how with ES File Explorer:

Configure ES File Explorer by doing the following steps:
    Launch ES File Explorer.
    Select Menu and choose Settings.
    Under Settings, enable the options for Up to root and Root Explorer. A message will appear, requiring you to confirm your action. You will also need to confirm Superuser access.
    Enable Mount File System.
    Go back to the app’s main menu.
Get a copy of the APK (Android Package) of the app that you want to save as a system file by doing the following steps (skip to step 3 if you already have the app’s APK file):
    Install an app from the Google Play Store. For this guide, we will be using the app BioRhythms as an example.
    Launch ES File Explorer and navigate to /data/app.
    Locate the APK file that you want to install as a system app. If you don’t know the APK’s filename, simply go to the Google Play Store link of your chosen app. View the link and take note of the words after “?id=”. This will be your APK’s filename. For instance, the BioRhythms app link is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.biorhythms. The BioRhythms’ APK is app.biorhythms-1.apk.
Create a backup of the chosen APK by copying it to the phone’s SD Card.
After creating a backup, long tap on the APK file and a menu will appear. Choose Cut. A blue arrow will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Go back to the main menu and navigate to /system/app/.
Drag the little arrow at the bottom of the screen. It will bring up the icon of the APK file.
Tap the APK file and it will be transferred to /system/app/.
Find the APK file in /system/app/. Press and hold it and a menu will appear.
Select Properties on the menu. The dialog properties will show up.
Tap Change and it will show the permissions dialog box.
Check the boxes for the following permissions in the dialog box:
    User: Read and Write
    Group: Read
    Other: Read
Select OK once the required settings have been made.
Reboot your device.