One of the best things about foldable tablets and phones is the taskbar at the bottom of the foldable screen, which stores your most used apps. But did you know that you can have something similar in regular non-folding phones?
Whenever I set up a new Samsung or Motorola phone, this is the first thing I turn on and customize, and it’s probably my most used Android feature. In fact, the side panel – Sidebar, Edge Panel, or whatever you want to call it – is a very common feature of Android found in all the various OEMs, although it is still surprisingly missing from Pixel smartphones.
An application taskbar that you can access from anywhere
The side panel on Android phones acts as a sort of task bar on non-folding phones. When activated, it hides on the side of your display, indicated by a small bar. When you swipe in on the bar, you get access to a set of apps that you can customize, as well as other recently opened apps and/or (in Samsung’s case), a dedicated set of AI apps.
The good thing about this is that it is accessible on almost all screens. If you’re already in an app, you can open the side panel to access another frequently used app at a glance or in your full app drawer.
It’s also a great option for multitasking. In fact, I find that activating split-screen mode can be a pain, but with the side panel, you can drag an app to one side of the screen or open it freely on top of another open app.
Samsung also offers a set of additional side panels that you can use beyond apps. You can access the clipboard, your favorite contacts, weather, navigation tools, and more. The side panel can actually be a one stop shop if you use it right.
How to enable side panel on Galaxy phone
1. Open the Settings operating system.
2. Tap Show.
3. Switch on Edge panels and tap on the Edge Panels menu option.
4. Tap Panels and select the panels you want to add.
5. Tap Organize less than Applications panelthen tap the apps you want to add to the panel. Do the same with Human panel if you wish to add it.
6. Optional: Tap that three dots icon in the upper right corner and open split screen, Galaxy AI, Show latest appsagain Display the names of the applications.
7. In the Edge panel menu, tap Hold on.
8. Select the position of the screen you want the handle to be on, i color, transparent, the sizeagain width.
9. Hold and drag the handle in your preferred location for easy access.
Download Good Lock for even more fun
Now, you can swipe from the bar on almost any screen to access your favorite and most used apps or functions! But if you want to customize your panel even more, you can do so by installing the Samsung Lock app from the Google Play Store or the Galaxy Store. Once downloaded, scroll to plugins and install the Home Top module.
Once installed, open Home Up and toggle the Edge panel. Here, you will find additional settings that you can use in the panel, such as the ability to combine multiple types of panels in one panel to access applications, contacts, and shortcuts, the ability to scroll through the recent applications section, and an expanded view that adds columns for applications.
One user on Android 17 has indicated that the upcoming One UI 9 update will enable more customization of the Edge Panel. An update to the Advanced Home module will allow users to add backgrounds and colors, change the corner radius, and adjust the blur effect.
Keep in mind that Samsung hasn’t officially released Android 17/One UI 9 yet, so unless you’re in beta, you’ll have to wait a long time for this functionality.
The Pixel misses out
As I noted, it’s not just Samsung that has a side panel for easy access to apps. It is also available on Motorola phones. You can access it by navigating to Settings > Features > Sidebarand turn on the feature. Then, press the button Settings icon adding apps, tools, and contacts to the bar. It basically combines three Samsung panels into one.
For OnePlus, the feature is buried in a less visible place. Navigate to Settings > Accessibility & ease > Smart sidebarand turn on the feature. There, you can organize its location, activities, and more. Then open the Sidebar and press Organize add and change the applications you want.
I wish I could tell you how to enable this feature on Pixel smartphones, but for some reason, Google refuses to add it to the Pixel lineup. There are a few things I don’t like about the Pixel UI, but the fact that Google won’t give me an app sidebar is one of the main reasons I don’t like using it. There are third-party applications that can add similar functionality, such as Panelsbut I would prefer to use the built-in feature without a paywall.
The closest the Pixel comes are the new app bubbles, which allow you to multitask easily across multiple apps with floating bubbles, but they really don’t compare to having a dedicated sidebar. With any luck, Google will add this in future OS updates or Pixel Drops.