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FeaturesLabs

Labs

Labs is a page in SupaSidebar Preferences where you try new features before they’re finished. Every Labs feature ships in the regular release but stays off, with its settings hidden, until you turn it on. Labs features are part of Pro. Without Pro, each one is free for 30 days from the first time you turn it on.

Labs is new in SupaSidebar 1.5.0.

What’s in Labs

FeatureWhat it doesDocs
SupaViewOpens links from Slack, Mail and other apps in a floating windowSupaView
Archived TabsCloses tabs you stop using and keeps them 30 daysArchived Tabs
Tab SwitcherGoes back to your last tab with Ctrl Tab, or picks from your 5 most recentTab Switcher

How to turn on a Labs feature

  1. Open Preferences → Labs. It has a New tag in the Preferences sidebar.
  2. Find the feature’s card and turn on its switch.
  3. Click Set up and the feature’s name at the bottom of the card, like Set up Tab Switcher, to open the feature’s own pane.

Each card explains the feature in a few lines before you turn it on. Once a feature is on, its pane appears in the Preferences sidebar with a Labs tag. Turn the switch off and the pane hides again.

You can also type a feature’s name or “labs” into Settings Search to jump to its card.

Pro and the free month

Labs features are part of Pro. With a paid license, every Labs feature is yours with no time limit, and the cards show no free-month tag.

Without a license, including during the free trial, each feature gets its own free month.

  • It starts the first time you turn the feature on - not when you install or update SupaSidebar. A feature you never turn on never starts its month.
  • Each feature has its own month - trying SupaView doesn’t use up the month for Archived Tabs.
  • Turning a feature off doesn’t pause it - the 30 days keep counting from the first time you turned it on.

The tag next to each feature’s name shows where you are.

TagMeaning
Try free for 30 daysNot turned on yet. The month starts when you do
Free until a dateYour free month is running
Free month endedThe month is over
No tagYou have Pro

What happens when the free month ends

When a feature’s free month ends and you don’t have Pro, the feature turns off.

  • The card shows Free month ended, its switch goes away, and an Upgrade to Pro button appears.
  • The feature’s pane leaves the Preferences sidebar.
  • Your settings are kept. Upgrade to Pro and the feature comes back the way you left it.

Each feature stops in its own way.

  • SupaView - If SupaSidebar is still your default browser, links from other apps open in your browser instead of SupaView. No link is lost. See SupaView to switch your default browser back.
  • Archived Tabs - Auto-Close stops, so no more tabs close. See Archived Tabs.
  • Tab Switcher - Ctrl Tab goes back to your browser’s own next-tab shortcut. See Tab Switcher.

To upgrade, click Upgrade to Pro on the card, or add a key in Preferences → About (how to activate a license).

Frequently asked questions

Is Labs the same as beta updates?

No. Beta updates install whole early versions of SupaSidebar. Labs features ship in the regular release and stay off until you turn them on, so you don’t need beta updates to try them.

Are Labs features finished?

Not yet. They work in the regular release, and they can change as feedback comes in. Use Send feedback to tell the developer what works and what doesn’t.

Does turning a feature off and on again restart the free month?

No. The 30 days run from the first time you turned the feature on, whether it’s on or off after that.

Do I need Pro to see Labs?

No. Anyone can open Preferences → Labs and turn a feature on. Pro only matters once a feature’s free month ends.

Learn more

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