Multitasking with Android: App Docks

I have several times made comparisons of Android as an OS to Windows 3.1, but for the record I feel I should apologize...

...for any insult to Windows 3.1 by comparing it to Android.

Android's biggest weakness, in my opinion, is the lack of multitasking. There are some apps that will resume where you left off. The easiest way to test this is to close out the app using the Home button and then if the next time you start it via the screen icon, if it starts back where you left off it is resumable. 

There is also a Recent Apps list you can access via the Recent Apps button, a double rectangle, or if your device doesn't have one then by holding down on your Home button. Recent Apps are those that remain resident in memory and some will resume where you left off, but you'll have to test each app for yourself.

But to truly have some multitasking capability it would be useful to start an app while using another without having to shut down that app. A handy way to do this is by being able to dock shortcuts to start an app while you are using another.

Notification Taskbar takes advantage of an already present feature; your notification area in Android. You can slide the notifications area down from the top, or up from the bottom on some tablets, while you are using an app without shutting it down. So why not dock some apps in that area by adding a taskbar with shortcuts to apps? You can add up to 20 shortcuts, customize colors and set it to start with Android. It is free and has no ads. You can get it from APKPure or Google Play. Notification Taskbar runs on Android 4.1 and up.

Sidebar Lite is a free version of the Sidebar app with limited features, but it will allow you to dock up to 8 apps on the left side of your screen and slide out the sidebar when you need to launch an app, and it does not have ads. You can set Sidebar Lite to start with Android. Sidebar Lite will also run on older Android devices from Android 2.1 and up. You can get it from APKPure or Google Play.

With floating apps that can stay open over running apps, which I'll discus in another article, you can dock them in the Notification Taskbar or Sidebar Lite (see pic above) and run them concurrently with other apps allowing you some multitasking capability such as taking notes, using a calculator or even launching a web browser while your main app stays running.