Sidebar – A Brilliant New Way to Multitask on Android

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFPHc7tuM0

Android: Sidebar is an application switcher that lives on the side of your screen, ready to launch your favorite apps or just switch you between currently running ones with a single swipe. It’s fast, flexible, and lets you customize the apps in the drawer so it’s not cluttered with shortcuts you don’t need. Check out the video above we’ve found on Lifehacker to see Sidebar in action.

The premise is simple—just swipe in from the side of the screen to open up Sidebar’s app drawer, which displays currently running applications so you can easily switch among them. Hold any icon and drag it out of the sidebar to remove that app. Alternatively, you can toggle over to your favorite apps, and use Sidebar as a quick way to get to the apps you want to use without having to go back to the home screen or page through your complete list of apps. Additionally, you can use Sidebar to get quick access to your phone’s settings, from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to rotation, sound, and brightness.

If Sidebar looks familiar, it’s because it looks a lot like previously mentioned Swapps, only much more minimal, faster, and a bit easier to use without it getting in the way of the currently-running app. Perhaps best of all, Sidebar support Android phones running Froyo and higher, so even if you don’t have Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean’s native app switcher, you can get something just as good (if not better.) It’s free, but the $2 pro version lets you add more than 8 apps to the sidebar and opens up some additional customization options.

Sidebar Lite (Free) | Google Play

Sidebar Pro ($2) | Google Play