Going through the Google Play Store, you can find a few task switcher apps to help you change from one app to another. They have varying degrees of ease of use. Switchr is a really easy to use task switcher app for Android to help you change your apps quickly and easily with a swipe of your finger. Let’s take a look at how you can use Switchr to be more efficient.
Getting Started
Head on over to the Google Play Store and download Switchr. When you have it up and running, you can walk through the quick tutorial. The tutorial will show you the basics of operating Switchr.
Using Switchr
Using Switcher to change apps is pretty smooth. The free version doesn’t let you change the active edge so you’ll be touching the upper left edge of your screen.
You’ll see that area flash when exiting the wizard. To change apps, swipe from the upper left of the screen toward the middle. That’s all there is to it. All of the apps you’ve previously opened will be accessible to the free version of Switchr.
With the upgrade, you can access more apps and also whitelist and blacklist app that might appear in the list. If you swipe to switch an app and it isn’t the one you want, you can zig-zag your finger on the screen touching the active edge, then to the center, then back to the active edge and back to the center without lifting your finger.
When you are switching apps, you will see a semi-see through image of the app icon so you know which app you are changing to. The free version offers only one view.
Why Use an App Switcher
You might not think that an app switcher is useful in Android. Let me give you a couple of examples on how you might use an app switcher to be more efficient. 1.If you are on the web and need to quickly change back and forth to your calendar or note taking app to copy and paste information. 2. Laptop users many times like to use the keyboard shortcuts. Since there really aren’t keyboard shortcuts on Androids, this will be like your “Alt + Tab” keyboard shortcut. 3. You have other apps on your Android which use gestures like Dolphin browser and want to carry that into other areas of your device.
Conclusion
Overall, I thought Switchr worked great. I played with the sensitivity a little to make it less sensitive so I didn’t activate it accidentally. Once I got the hang of using it intentionally, I really started to see the benefit. I liked using it to quickly from whatever I was doing to change to an IM then back. I usually have a lot of apps open so I rarely need to go to my home screen anymore. How do you quickly change from app to app?
