There are a lot of apps which help in our daily task or add additional features to our use which generally fall under productivity section of apps. Here speaking of sidebar apps, there are many add-ons along with some launchers, however here I have found an app called IVY made by Stinger solutions. This app has a variety of features which I found it worthy to share.
The best part of the app is that its free and one can access all of its features.
As said it's a sidebar app which works over your default launcher. By enabling it you can swipe from either left or right corner of the screen to access it.
You can choose the apps you want to access quickly as well as the contacts. It can display the current time, date, widgets as well as the RSS feeds.
One can also choose the contacts to be displayed on the sidebar. You can access them by swiping from the chosen apps on the sidebar. This does add great functionality and can be an alternative sidebar feature in devices with curved displays like the S7 Edge, S6 Edge etc. which do come with similar grace UX sidebar.
If your device does not have a curved display, it will add such a feature which is a plus point.
Multiple widgets can be added and easily accessed. Also you can either display them in the upper part of the screen or the bottom part (in this case its in the bottom section ).
If you have multiple widgets, they can be accessed by swiping from the current widget.
Another great feature is the addition of RSS feeds. You can get the latest feeds from the available options from the category of feeds you want. It's similar to the feeds like the HTC blinkfeed. The feeds will be displayed at the bottom portion of the screen.
As in the case of tech feed, the options were from Android authority, Gizmodo, CNN tech news, etc.
These are some of the RSS feed categories that you can get i.e sports, tech, news, etc.
In the custom feed option you can copy a URL from where you want feeds. I did try it but always showed an error. ( If you were successful in doing so , do let us know in the comments below)
These are the sources for the sports feed. You can select multiple options.
From the app settings, you can change the alignment of the handle, change the height, width, transparency of the drag handle.
Also the handle colour, the sidebar colour, etc can be configured. You also get an option to enable the app drawer showing a grid view of all the installed apps.
The best part of the app is that its free and one can access all of its features.
As said it's a sidebar app which works over your default launcher. By enabling it you can swipe from either left or right corner of the screen to access it.
You can choose the apps you want to access quickly as well as the contacts. It can display the current time, date, widgets as well as the RSS feeds.
One can also choose the contacts to be displayed on the sidebar. You can access them by swiping from the chosen apps on the sidebar. This does add great functionality and can be an alternative sidebar feature in devices with curved displays like the S7 Edge, S6 Edge etc. which do come with similar grace UX sidebar.
If your device does not have a curved display, it will add such a feature which is a plus point.
If you have multiple widgets, they can be accessed by swiping from the current widget.
As in the case of tech feed, the options were from Android authority, Gizmodo, CNN tech news, etc.
These are some of the RSS feed categories that you can get i.e sports, tech, news, etc.
In the custom feed option you can copy a URL from where you want feeds. I did try it but always showed an error. ( If you were successful in doing so , do let us know in the comments below)
From the app settings, you can change the alignment of the handle, change the height, width, transparency of the drag handle.
Also the handle colour, the sidebar colour, etc can be configured. You also get an option to enable the app drawer showing a grid view of all the installed apps.
The clock settings can also be changed like the clock format, text colour, size, date settings,etc. Considering the customization options , you can get the taste that suits you ;-)
Download - Link
I have used this app since a long time and indeed its a useful app and also enhances productivity. There are no force closes and works great. This app is highly recommended and do share your recommendations in the comments below.
( These apps have been tested and no developer has paid me to review them )