Taskbar is a free utility that was developed by Braden Farmer for mobile devices. It is a third-party app launcher that is inspired by the program taskbar found on operating systems for PCs. It puts a persistent start menu and recent applications tray on top for quick and easy access.

Nova Launcher and Microsoft Launcher are some of the best third-party home screen replacements available for Android devices. Taskbar takes a different approach by providing users with a Windows-like taskbar for all their apps and games. It's placed above the navigation bar and stays on top of all other running applications.

How do I use Taskbar?

When you first open Taskbar, it will place a start menu and recent apps tray right above your navigation bar (by default) — or at the bottom of your screen if you use swipe gestures for navigation—where you can quickly launch any app or game that you want. The taskbar can be expanded or retracted, and offers multiple options depending on your preference.

Taskbar's settings menu is divided into five main parts. In General, you can change its position on your screen or enable a search bar. Appearance lets you set its theme and use icon packs. Enable displaying your recent apps in the Recent apps, including how many can be shown. Freeform is an experimental feature allowing you to run multiple apps simultaneously.

Lastly, the Advance features section lets you set Taskbar as your default launcher, enable a dashboard, or configure per-app preferences. Taskbar is also completely free and it doesn't have ads, which is always a nice thing. There is one notable feature missing, though, and that is the lack of an auto-hide feature when you are running full-screen applications.

Support for Desktop Mode

Taking it one step further, Taskbar also supports Android’s native desktop mode, bringing it even closer to a PC-like look, feel, and user experience. After connecting your device to an external monitor and using different apps, it will dynamically adjust to your use case. The setup process is pretty straightforward, as you’ll just follow along with the step-by-step process and set specific parameters and options.

Then, there’s freeform mode, which lets you run multiple apps simultaneously, with resizable floating windows that can be moved anywhere across the screen. This setup is great for multitasking scenarios, but do be aware that it will be more taxing on your device and system resources. On another note, the app could use more customization, like theming options and the ability to change its position on-screen.

Desktop-like multi-tasking on your smartphone

All in all, Taskbar is a great tool and provides a solid alternative to other popular app launchers and home screen replacement solutions. If you're looking for something unique and different, it's definitely worth checking out. It's intuitive, has a good amount of features on offer, and runs smoothly.