11 advanced Android split-screen tricks

It’s fascinating to see how few people actively use some of Android’s most useful features.

I had such a revelation around the platform’s long-standing split-screen option this month. With Google working to expand Android’s screen-splitting system and make it even more flexible with an upcoming Android version, I decided to ask the smart and savvy readers of my Android Intelligence newsletter how often they actually tap into that Android-exclusive advantage.

And the survey saaaaaaaaaaays: A staggering 57% of folks rarely to never rely on Android’s split-screen option, while 19% didn’t even know such a thing existed. Just 6% said they use it once or twice a week, meanwhile, and a meager 5% almost every day.

Honestly, it shouldn’t be surprising. Android’s split-screen system has always been an out-of-sight, out-of-mind sort of thing, and unless you’re ​using a recent Android tablet or folding phone​, you really have to know where to look to find it — let alone realize it exists.

But my goodness, can it ever be a handy efficiency-enhancer to wield. And beyond the basic act of splitting your screen in half and interacting with two apps at the same time, Android’s split-screen system holds some splendidly advanced options for pushing your productivity to powerful new heights.

My friend and fellow tech-sorcery adorer, prepare to be enlightened.

[Psst: Want even more advanced Android knowledge? Check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse next to learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone.]

Android split-screen trick #1: The split slide

Up first is an easy one to wrap your mind around. Once you’ve got two apps open together on your favorite Android device — and if you don’t know how to do that yet, pause for a moment and start here for the 101-level steps — take note: You can slide your finger up and down (or side to side, if your device is in a landscape orientation) on the line between the two sides of your screen to change the spacing and see more of either app in the split.

JR Raphael, IDG

If you slide your finger all the way down (or to the side), meanwhile, you’ll exit Android’s split-screen mode entirely and go back to seeing just a single app at once.

Android split-screen trick #2: The tab grab

Typically, when you’re starting up a new split-screen, you select two different apps from your recently used app list to get things going.

But — little-known fact! — you can also select two different tabs from the Android Chrome browser and then view and even scroll through ’em side by side simultaneously.

This one’s a little tricky to find, but once you know the trick, it’s actually quite easy:

• First, open up Chrome.
• Then, fire up a split-screen between that and any other app, using the standard Android split-screen shortcut. It doesn’t matter what other app you choose, as we’ll override it a moment.
• Now, in the Chrome half of your screen, tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner and select “New window.”
  • Alternatively, you can open any web page in the initial Chrome view and press and hold your finger onto any link within that page — then, in the menu that pops up, find and select the “Open in other window” option.

And hey, how ’bout that?!

JR Raphael, IDG

You’ve now got two Chrome tabs together on your screen, and you can change ’em or interact with ’em in any you want. You can even move tabs from one side of the screen to the other, if you’re really feeling saucy.

Android split-screen trick #3: The email divide

Similar to Chrome, Google’s official Gmail app for Android has its own crafty way to create a split-screen using multiple views from a single inbox.

This one works a wee bit differently, and it’s even easier to pull off:

• First, open up Gmail and start a new email draft.
• Now start a new split-screen from there. (You know the fastest way to do that by now, right?!)
• That’ll put your new message draft on the first half of the screen. And you should then see your Gmail inbox view as an available option for the other half — or, if you’re on a Samsung device, be able to find and select Gmail from the list of other choices to get to that same spot.

JR Raphael, IDG

An active draft and your inbox or any other email on-screen together — doesn’t get much more convenient than that.

Android split-screen trick #4: The split-screen redo

In more recent Android versions, anytime you’ve created a split-screen between two apps, you can then find and return to that same exact setup — with both those same apps in the same split-screen position — even after you’ve moved away and shifted your focus elsewhere.

Just look in your recent apps overview — y’know, the thing you get to by swiping up about an inch from the bottom of the screen and stopping, with Android gestures, or by tapping the either square-shaped or three-vertical-line icon at the bottom of your screen, if you’re still clingin’ to the old legacy three-button nav approach — and you should see any recently accessed splits there and ready to return to with a couple quick taps.

JR Raphael, IDG

Android split-screen trick #5: The instant split

You don’t have to rely on your Android screen-splitting history to get back to a favorite app split in a jiff. A clever little app called Be Nice makes it as easy as can be to create custom one-tap shortcuts for starting up specific pairs of apps in a split on demand — just like opening any regular ol’ individual app on your device.

I’ve got a quick ‘n’ simple guide that’ll get you up and running with it in no time.

Android split-screen trick #6: The split save

If you’ve got a large-screen Android device — be it a tablet or an expanded foldable phone — with Android 15 in place, you can actually accomplish something similar without any third-party add-ons.

Take a peek at this tip and start saving your own on-demand app pairs for ongoing use.

Android split-screen trick #7: The slide split

Speaking of tablets and foldables, if you’re rockin’ such a plus-sized device and you’ve got a reasonably recent Android version on it, you can spin yourself into a split in a split-second simply by summoning the taskbar in the Android large-screen environment.

Just swipe up gently from the bottom of your screen to get the taskbar to appear, then drag an icon from that area up into your main screen space.

See?

JR Raphael, IDG

Whee!

Android split-screen trick #8: The Keep 2-in-1 special

Also specific to large-screen Android environments is a nifty little trick that lets you create a split-screen view right within the Google Keep Android app — without having to rely on the standard system-level screen-splitting feature at all.

Just open up any note inside the app, and as long as your screen is wide enough, you’ll see the note show up alongside your main note list. And then, from there, you can press and hold your finger onto the line separating the app’s two panels — the note list and whatever individual note you’re actively viewing — and slide your finger in either direction to change the panels’ sizes.

JR Raphael, IDG

Who knew?!

Android split-screen trick #9: The Calendar crack

From Keep to calendar, the Google Calendar Android app has a similarly sneaky bit o’ screen-splitting sorcery built right in for larger Android devices.

In Calendar, you can trigger a split by tapping on a specific individual event from within a calendar view. That’ll cause your screen to divide and the event to appear alongside the full calendar interface — again, on a larger-screened Android gizmo only — and just like with Keep, you can then press and slide your precious fingie along the line between those panels to adjust each side’s size.

JR Raphael, IDG

Pretty handy — and we’ve got two easily overlooked Android split-screen tricks left yet…

Android split-screen trick #10: The floating web window

In addition to the snazzy Chrome tab screen-splitting tricks from a second ago, you can also pop any web page out into a floating window that then sits atop anything else you’re doing on your device — like a more versatile sort of split-screen setup, in a sense.

This one requires a helping hand from a third-party app called, fittingly enough, Float Browser. 

I’ve got a complete guide to getting it up and running in a minute or less.

Android split-screen trick #11: The PiP split

Last but not least is a final native Android feature for splitting your screen in an unconventional but effective way — at least, for certain specific scenarios.

It’s Android’s picture-in-picture system, which makes it easy to keep an actively playing video or even a Google Maps navigation visible on your screen while you also go about other tasks.

In apps that support the function, you can start a picture-in-picture view simply by heading back to your home screen while a video or navigation is playing (though some apps, like YouTube, do have certain restrictions in place for when the feature can be used).

From there, you can even whip out some advanced Android gestures to change the box’s size and do all sorts of other interesting stuff with it.

And there ya have it: 11 excellent ways to make the most of Android’s split-screen framework. Use your newfound power wisely — and as with any splits, be sure to do plenty of gentle stretching.

↪️ Up next: Get six full days of advanced Android knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone!