Ways to split the screen of an iOS device into two parts

One of the key disadvantages of iOS (and iPadOS) is the lack of full-fledged multitasking. That is, there is no way to run several applications in separate windows at once and use them at the same time. A similar functionality was only recently added to the iPad, but we are talking about the so-called split screen mode, with which you can work with 2 tabs at once. But on the iPhone, this function is not implemented. According to the iOS developers themselves, it is inconvenient to use it on a small screen, so there is no need for it.

Split View, Slide Over, and Picture-in-picture options are available on iPad OS using the dock. You won’t be able to split the screen on the iPhone using regular means. But it is available for jailbroken devices , for which you will additionally need to install third-party “window” managers (for example, Multify or ReachApp). The AppStore also has several programs that can be installed on the iPhone without jailbreak, but in terms of functionality, they are significantly inferior to the same ReachApp.

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Splitting the display of a smartphone using third-party software

You can use special software to get the ability to work with different tabs on one screen, watch a movie and correspond, scroll through news and check mail, view two sites at the same time or perform other actions without switching between tabs.

With Multitasking Split Screen

Split Screen with Multitasking Split Screen is available on both iPhone and iPad. The application has a simple interface and is adapted, including for the frameless displays of the new iPhones. It can be downloaded for free from the official App Store, but to remove ads, you will have to purchase the full version.

Multitasking Split Screen functionality provides the following features:

Split screen . The main browser option allows you to experience real multitasking on your phone. After launching the application, you will see two active windows with an address bar (aka search), buttons for quick access to your favorite sites and adding to bookmarks. Resizing windows is available by dragging the separator line.
Full screen mode. Having expanded one of the browser windows by dragging the separator up or down, you can use the full-screen mode option, after which you will be able to switch to the split mode by pressing the corresponding button (it will appear in the lower right corner).
Adding sites to favorites. This option is useful for quick access to frequently used resources. To use it, you need to click on the standard star-shaped icon to the right of the address bar. The list of added sites opens by clicking the button on the left side of the interface.

The functionality of the software is quite simple and boils down to working with two screens, here the possibilities of interacting with bookmarks are limited (for example, you cannot change the name of the added site), there are no tabs, and it is also impossible to open a link from one window to another (you need to copy and paste it into the line ).

With Split Web Browser

Another browser with which you will be able to split the iPhone screen in half to perform multiple tasks at the same time. The app is available for free in the App Store, no jailbreak required.

The functionality of the Split browser offers:

Split display.
Ability to view up to 9 web pages on one screen.
Support for full screen viewing.
Incognito mode.
Built-in Google search (Bing and Yahoo search can also be used).

Splitting the screen on iPad by standard means

The Split View option, with which you can split the iPad into two screens, appeared on iOS 9 and is now available on all modern apple tablet models (iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4, iPad and iPad Pro).

How to activate the option

The split-screen feature on Apple devices that support the function should be active by default, but if for some reason this is not the case, you can simply activate it:

Go to iPad settings.
Go to the “General” tab, then to the “Multitasking & Dock” section.
Move the toggle switch opposite the “Allow Multiple Apps” item to the active position.
The option is enabled, now you can take advantage of the ability to work in multi-window mode.

Splitting the screen using standard iOS tools

How to split iPad screen in two

To use multi-window mode, you need to do the following:

We place the tablet horizontally (the option works only in this position).
We launch one of the programs that we plan to use in conjunction with the other.
We call the Dock-panel with a swipe from the bottom of the screen upwards.
Press and hold the icon of the application that you want to open in the right part of the split view window (only software that supports the function will be displayed in the list of applications).
Drag the program icon to the edge of the screen , after which an additional Split View area will open (if you do not bring the application to the edge, the program will start over the current software, in Split Over mode);
in the second part of the screen, the standard application menu will open, from which you will only have to select the program you need to start.

It should be noted that the split screen on iPad OS version 13 has been significantly modified. For example, it became possible to change the size of the selected area of the screen to display the selected programs. We also added smart space allocation when more than 3 windows are launched. For the active one, most of the screen is allocated, and you can switch between running applications by double tapping.

It is possible to add three or more programs to the display, but only if they provide such a function. In this case, two of them will be in Split View mode, and the third and subsequent ones – as additional “floating” windows.

You can also customize the split screen by triple pressing the Home button. This is configured in the “Accessibility” section. You don’t need to disable Siri for this (there was such a flaw in iPad OS 9 and 10 versions). And you can split the screen on the iPad Pro by simultaneously pressing the volume keys, but this is done through third-party programs (Multitasking Split Screen).

How to work in Split View mode

The split screen option on iPad allows you to:

Change the program in one of the parts of the display. To do this, you need to swipe down on it and select another software from the list.
Divide the display in 50/50 and 70/30 proportions. To change the aspect ratio, drag on the tab located in the left center of the right window.
Swap applications. To move a window, for example, located from the left to the right of the screen, or vice versa, you need to pull the shutter tab in the desired direction.
Switch from Split View to Split Over. You can perform the action by touching the tab of the separator in the Split Over window or by pulling it up.
Exchange media content between applications (pictures, video, audio). To do this, you need to make a long tap on the selected object, select “Copy”, and then using a gesture (touch with 5 fingers) – paste into the window of another program. Thus, for example, you can quickly transfer photos from the gallery to Facebook or Instagram.

And before splitting the screen on iPad, it is recommended to enable gestures in the settings, as well as “Recent and suggested programs”. This will allow you to quickly change applications in one part of the display to those that are running in the background.

Split screen and multitasking iOS

How to split screen in Safari

It is very easy to use Split View in the standard iPad browser. If you want to split the Safari window in two, you can do the following:

Open the web page in the browser.
In the upper right corner, click on the icon in the form of two connected squares (the “new tab” function) and select “Open a new window”.
Split View is activated, allowing you to view two pages at the same time and resize windows.

You can also make the separation in the following way:

We open one page in the browser .
Click on the link on the site and hold until a window appears where you can select “Open in a new window”.
The page will open in Split View.

In total, in this way, you can open up to 9 tabs at the same time. All subsequent ones will be hidden (their list can be viewed from any page in the standard list of open bookmarks).

How to remove separation

You can remove Split View on iPad as follows:

To close the split view, you need to touch and hold the slider between parts of the screen and drag it towards the application you want to close. It should be noted that the second program remains loaded in memory, that is, you can quickly switch to it if necessary.
To exit the split display mode, you can go to Split Over by pulling down the shutter tab, then pull the program window icon to the right of the screen.
To open all tabs in one window in Safari, you can remove the splitting by clicking the two connected squares icon and choosing the “Merge All Windows” option. After that, all open tabs will be in the same browser window, but in different folders. You can also select Close Tabs to close one window and expand the other to full screen.

As you can see, the ability to split the display makes the device more functional, and multitasking is simple and very efficient. Using the option, you can significantly save time for performing various actions with different applications or browser tabs and, regardless of the nature of the tasks performed, organize the most convenient and fruitful environment.