How to use Split Screen Apps on Android Phone - 2 Apps open at Same Time, by YourSixStudios on YouTube. 1 min 14 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 14 s
- Time to do it
- 2 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Open the first app you want to use, for example Chrome, Gmail, YouTube or Messages. Most common apps support split screen, but some full-screen games and banking apps do not.
Open the Recent Apps menu. With gesture navigation, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold. With button navigation, tap the square Recent Apps button.
Find the first app in the Recent Apps list and tap its icon at the top of the preview. On some Android versions you long press the preview instead.
Tap Split screen in the menu that opens. The first app stays pinned to the top half of the screen, or the left side if you hold the phone in landscape.
Choose the second app from the Recent Apps list or your home screen. Both apps now run side by side, each in its own half.
Drag the divider bar between the two apps up or down to change how much screen space each one gets.
To exit, drag the divider all the way to the top or bottom, or to the left or right edge in landscape. You go back to a single full-screen app.
Tips and common mistakes
If Split screen is missing or greyed out, that app does not allow it, so try a different one.
Turn the phone to landscape for wide apps like video players, maps and spreadsheets.
On Samsung phones, open the Recent Apps view, tap the app icon and pick Open in split screen view.
Some apps pause or reload when they are not the active window, so save your work before switching.
Questions
Why is there no Split screen option on my phone?
Some apps block it, and some Android versions hide the option behind a long press on the app icon in the Recent Apps view. Check for a software update if you cannot find it at all.
Can I run three apps at once?
Split screen shows two apps at a time. Some phones add a floating or pop-up window so you can keep a third app on top.
How do I make one app bigger?
Drag the divider bar between the two windows. The app on the side you drag toward gets less space and the other gets more.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
