If you are an Android user using Android 7 or later versions and want to use split-screen mode, you are in the right place. Today we are here to show you how to split screen on android phones.
What’s Android?
It is a mobile operating system specially designed for touch screen devices like smartphones and tablets based on a modified Linux Kernel version.
Android phones have one of the top class features, which include:
- Split-screen view
- Audio-coupled haptic effect
- Developer options
- Adoptable storage
- Memory management
Talking the hardware platform of android, it is developed by the ARM x86 and x86-64 architectures.
Android is also cautious about newly emerging security threats and regularly updates its privacy and security features.
Is Multitasking Beneficial?
Some research has proved that multitasking affects productivity and brain health differently.
- They say that multitasking might decrease your ability to focus and exacerbate impulsiveness. Multi-tasking also slows you down because your brain is trying to focus on two different goals simultaneously and sometimes on the same screens.
- Few research proposes that multitaskers are more distractible, and they would have trouble focusing their attention and concentrating properly on just a single task.
- Ultimately it depends on what task they are performing and varies from person to person. So if you are someone who likes multitasking and are comfortable with it, please do try the split-screen feature of android phones.
- It is a multi-tasking feature and increases your productivity. Using a split-screen view, you can use two apps simultaneously. For example, you can watch a video from YouTube and text message on WhatsApp at the same time without the need to switch between apps by tapping on three vertical lines, which is a recent apps button, or watch a video on YouTube and read an article about it on google simultaneously.
However, it would be best if you kept in mind a few things before reading this article:
- You can’t use some mobile games to fill up only half the screen when they are supposed to play on the entire screen on android.
- This split-screen feature drains the battery of any android device as you are using two apps in split-screen mode.
- Different manufacturers provide their users with distinct split-screen features. For example, Samsung and Google provide similar mode features, but they are different from others like Xiaomi.
- Not all apps support split-screen views. When you try to use such apps in split-screen mode, you’ll get the warning saying, “App doesn’t support split-screen mode.”
How to Split Screen on Android 7 to 9?
Steps to Split Screen on Android:
- Click on the app switcher option in the bottom left corner near the home button.
- Find the first app you want to place on the top of your split-screen, then drag that app to the top of the screen or If you have the first app already open, tap and hold the app switcher button, automatically placing that first app at the top of the screen.
- Now all you have to do is find the second app to place at the bottom of the split-screen and place it underneath the top app.
How to split screen on Android 10 to 12?
Follow these steps to split-screen in modern Android versions.
1. Enter the Overview screen. How to do it? There are two ways you to do it. You can swipe your finger to the center of the screen from the bottom if you use gesture navigation
2. Simply tap on the “three vertical lines” in the bottom left corner near the home button known as the “Overview” button in the button-based navigation.
3. After finding the first app you want to place at the top of your split-screen view, long-press the app icon in the recent apps screen, which will lead you to a menu that has four options, “App info”, “Open in a split-screen view”, “Open in pop-up view”, and “Lock this app”. Click on the second option.
4. Select the second app, which appears right beneath the top screen, to witness two apps in split-screen form.
5. If you tap on the three horizontal dots in the center of the black bar that splits the screen, you will see two options. The first one is to switch the apps on the screen simultaneously and the second one is to save the app pair for future use.
To get more comfortable with this split-screen option, we can also switch to landscape mode on Android smartphones.
As said earlier, some Android devices have different home screen skins, so maybe the layout of the steps might change, but the overall process stays the same. For example, when we talk about Xiaomi phones, you can see an option to use split-screen mode right after entering the recent apps menu at the top-left corner of the window.
How to exit Split-Screen Mode?
Now that you have finished your productive work on your android device using multi-window mode and want to enjoy the whole screen. We have two ways to approach the solution:
- Hold and tap on the app switcher button, which is the button that appears on pressing the three horizontal dots in the center of the black bar that splits the screen until the first app, takes the full screen.
- Drag the black bar that splits the screen to the bottom of the screen.
If you temporarily want to hide both the apps and swipe to another page, press the Home screen button on the navigation menu on your device, which will push the apps to the top of the device screen.
Another way to witness two apps on the same screen
There is another way of multi-tasking if you use Android and later versions. That is to open the app in the pop-up view.
1. After finding the app you want to view in pop-up screen mode, long-press the app icon in the recent apps screen, which will lead you to a menu that has four options. Click on the second option, “Open in the pop-up view.”
2. You can either shrink the app to the app icon, which places itself in the top-right corner or drag the screen to wherever you want in the device screen by pressing on the small blue line that appears on top of the pop-up view.
3. To exit the pop-up view of an app to use other apps is also simple. Tap on the small blue line that appears on top of the pop-up view, then press on the “X” button, which will be placed rightmost.
How to use more than two apps in split-screen mode?
Suppose you want to view three apps on the same display. You need to use split-screen and pop-up screen modes at once. It’s a straightforward process, and no third-party applications are required to achieve this. Please follow the given steps:
- After finding the first app you want to place at the top of your split-screen view, long-press the app icon in the recent apps screen, which will lead you to a menu that has four options. Click on the second option, “Open in split-screen view.”
- Select the second app, which appears right beneath the top screen, to witness two apps in split-screen mode.
- After finding the third app you want to view in pop-up screen mode, long-press the app icon in the recent apps screen, which will lead you to a menu that has four options. Click on the second option, “Open in the pop-up view.”
Why use split-screen mode?
- The split-screen mode lets you use your Android to its fullest. People nowadays are all about multitasking, and with the split-screen mode on Android, now you can multi task on your phones too.
- The split screen mode helps you engage with two different screens at the same time. Now, that means you can enjoy a good video on YouTube, while at the same time you can also draft an email for work. You do not have to stop your entertainment, and also your work doesn’t get delayed.
- Its a win-win for all. You can navigate two apps, two screens just side-by-side.
Conclusion
Split-screen is helpful when you want to do more than one work at a time but it can be a disadvantage for the battery life of the Android.
I hope you got the information that compelled you to click this link.
Also read, How to Lock Apps on Android
