What is silhouette-sidebar?

Silhouette-Sidebar (also called Side Shadow) is a lightweight Android app that adds a floating sidebar to phones and tablets that do not have one built in. It is specifically aimed at Xiaomi and Redmi tablet users and people running stock Android on devices like Google Pixels, where there is no system-level sidebar feature. On those devices, switching between apps means going back to the home screen or app drawer each time, which adds up quickly when you are multitasking. The way it works is straightforward. A small floating trigger sits at the edge of your screen at all times. Swipe or tap it from any app and a panel opens with shortcuts to apps you have added there. You can switch to a messaging app, a browser, a file manager, a music player, or any other frequently used app without ever leaving the screen you are on. When you are done, the panel closes and you return to whatever you were doing. You can configure which apps appear in the sidebar and arrange shortcuts to match your habits. The app also supports preset shortcut combinations for different use cases, such as one layout for work and another for media consumption. The design goal is to stay out of the way. The trigger takes up very little screen space and the panel only appears when you call for it, so it does not cover your content or slow the device down. The app supports both Chinese and English. No details about permissions or system requirements are specified in the README beyond the Android target.