GoKawiilPankil Shah / Android Authority
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There’s no shortage of great Android apps out there, but the sad part is that not all of them always get the attention they deserve. Some are niche, while others aren’t talked about enough. Panels falls into the last bucket for me. I stumbled onto it from a Reddit thread a few months ago, and now it’s something I can’t live without.
Panels looks like a simple app that adds a sidebar launcher to your Android phone, but that’s underselling it. My Galaxy S26 already has a built-in version of this called Edge Panels, but I still use this app over it. That alone should give you a hint about how good it actually is.
Is one-handed phone use a real struggle for you? 15 votes Yes, my phone is too big. 33 % Sometimes, depends on the app. 20 % Not really, I've adapted. 27 % No, I use the built-in one-handed mode. 20 %
With Panels, everything is a swipe away
Pankil Shah / Android Authority
Panels is a free app that adds a sidebar launcher to the edge of your screen, and it works exactly as you’d expect. You swipe in from the edge to open a panel that lets you open apps, jump to contacts, glance at widgets, and access quick settings toggles.
The sidebar is swipeable and split into three pages. The first is a mini app drawer with a favorites tab, so you can get to your important apps faster. The second is the shortcuts panel, where you can drop in apps, contacts, quick settings, websites, and more. The third is for widgets, so you can glance and even interact with them without actually going to the home screen. That’s just the default setup, though. You can add more pages if you need extra room.
Samsung’s Edge Panel is fine, but it only goes so far. That's exactly why Panels has stuck around on my phone.
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