Split screen shows two apps at the same time, one on top of the other (or side by side on a tablet or in landscape). It is handy for watching a video while chatting, or copying text between apps.

Method 1: from recent apps

1. Open the first app, then open Recent apps (swipe up and hold, or tap the recents button).
2. Tap the app icon at the top of the app’s card.
3. Choose Split screen (or Open in split screen).
4. Pick the second app from the list that appears.

Method 2: with a gesture

Some phones let you swipe up with two fingers or drag an app from an edge panel into the screen to split it. Samsung phones have an edge panel with app pairs. Look for the gesture in Settings > Advanced features or Gestures.

Method 3: from the app menu

Press and hold an app icon on the home screen or app drawer. If it supports splitting, the menu has an option such as Split screen.

Resize and swap

• Drag the divider between the two apps to give one more room.
• Drag it to the edge to close one app and go back to full screen.
• On some phones, tapping the divider shows a button to swap the two apps.

Close split screen

Drag the divider all the way to the top or bottom, or open the divider’s menu and choose to close one app.

Why some apps will not split

Some apps (certain games, camera apps and banking apps) block it. Some phones also need a minimum Android version and enough memory. An older or budget phone with little RAM may close one app in the background: see how much RAM and storage you need.

Tips

1. Use landscape on a tablet or large phone for side by side.
2. Drag and drop text or images between the two apps in many cases.
3. Two apps running together use more battery: see how to stop apps running in the background.
4. Smooth scrolling in both windows depends on the display: see refresh rate explained.

Related

Want to capture both windows as a video? See how to record your phone screen.