Ivy Sidebar

Ivy provides more than just quick access to your favorite apps—it is a comfortable, powerful workspace designed to live between your apps. Ivy serves as a quick overlay to view essential information, launch shortcuts, and access widgets without having to return to your home screen.

Key Features:

• Launch apps, shortcuts, and view contacts

• Place and view widgets over any app

• Check upcoming Calendar events at a glance

• View your favorite RSS news feeds

• Extensive customizability for layout, icons, and triggers

• Accessible from any screen, over any app

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PERMISSIONS EXPLANATION:

Ivy requests the following permissions solely to provide its core launcher and overlay features:

• Display over other apps (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW): Required to draw the sidebar handle and quick panel overlay over running applications.

• Query All Packages (QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES): Required as a launcher replacement utility to discover and display installed apps on your device so you can launch them from the sidebar.

• Foreground Service (FOREGROUND_SERVICE & FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE): Keeps the sidebar service active and responsive in the background so the drag handle is instantly accessible.

• Read Contacts (READ_CONTACTS): Allows you to place quick-dial or messaging contact shortcuts directly inside your sidebar.

• Read Calendar (READ_CALENDAR): Enables displaying your upcoming calendar events directly within the quick widget panel.

• Post Notifications (POST_NOTIFICATIONS): Used to display the ongoing service status notification required by Android for persistent background tools.

• Run at Startup (RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED): Automatically starts the sidebar service when your device boots up.

• Request Package Uninstall (REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES): Allows you to uninstall apps directly from the App Drawer.

• Internet Access (INTERNET): Used to fetch online content such as RSS feeds and their articles.

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ACCESSIBILITY SERVICE API DISCLOSURE:

Ivy uses the Android AccessibilityService API to assist users—including those with physical or motor disabilities—by enabling easier, one-handed device navigation and persistent accessibility overlay support.

How Accessibility API is used:

• Screen Overlay & Reachability: Allows users with limited mobility to trigger global actions and access app shortcuts without having to reach across large device screens.

• Process Stability: Helps maintain the persistent edge drag handle so the accessibility tool remains available over active applications.

Data Privacy:

Ivy DOES NOT collect, process, store, or transmit any personal, sensitive, or user data through the AccessibilityService API. All operations are processed locally on your device.

No personal data, contacts, or calendar entries are ever shared or transmitted externally.