As with home screen launchers, app switchers on Android are a dime a dozen. But if standard Android app switcher or even fully baked third-party alternatives like OmniSwitch, or rather OmniSnitch, just don’t cut it for, you might want to give Switchr a try in order to make your very own personalized app switcher. At least to some extent.
What would set Switchr apart from other alternatives in Google Play Store is the sheer number of options available to the user. Although you only have three preset styles, you can tweak almost every part of those to your liking. And those styles aren’t exactly boring either. Flow mimics the Cover Flow carousel style popularized by Apple. Slide, on the other hand, is a bit complicated, trying to emulate the Windows 8 way of switching between apps using an almost zigzag-like gesture. The style that doesn’t try to imitate anything is Arc, which can either show a half circle on the side or a full circle in the middle of the screen.
Aside from cosmetic options, you also get to configure how Switchr behaves. You can setup the edges that trigger Switchr, on either or both sides or even from the bottom. Used with the half-circle Arc style, this would seem to be best for one-handed use. Perhaps most interestingly, you actually pin a few items to the recent apps list. In fact, the Recent Apps itself is an item that you can mistakingly remove. You can also add your favorite apps for quick and easy access to them wherever you are.
The rather sad news is that, while the app itself is free, quite a good number of those customizations are locked behind the $1.99 pro version. This includes the ability to use the navigation bar at the bottom as a trigger area, increasing the number of apps shown beyond 6, and even a Live Switching feature where you can see a preview of the window even while your finger is still gliding the list. The basic free version, however, is functional enough, but if you happen to like Switchr and want to squeeze more out of it, the paid version is the only way to go.
Download: Switchr (Free), (Pro)
