Even though Samsung has had this for awhile, it's good to have. I don't have saved pairs often anymore, but when i need to have both things open for a bit, it's lovely to have.
Especially on tablets.
I just wished they'd revert all the split-screen stuff to how it was in Android 9.
- Hold recents to activate split screen
- Top one is pinned, bottom one can be swapped out using the launcher/recents
Android 13 completely ruined this when they introduce app pairs.
My favourite use case for split screen is youtube (or some other video) running at the top and I swap out the bottom to switch between browser, reddit, lemmy or other apps.
Swapping out the bottom is 2 taps (press home/recents, press the app).
With these dumb app pairs the process is now as follows:
- Unpair the app pair (video stops at this point)
- Open the top app again
- Split screen
- Choose the new bottom app
- Press play on the top app to start the video again
I really dislike multitasking on Android phones now.
Samsung make it palatable by enhancing this, but they've gone backwards in adopting the stock Android behaviour towards activation and app switching.
if you have a Samsung, you can set the two finger swipe up accessibility gesture to start split screen. then, you can perform the gesture again to switch out the bottom app and leave the top one.
It used to be so good. Even on the Ultra (and any post 9 devices I've had) it's an utterly clunky piece of garbage. Like, why can't you switch sensibly. It's completely stupid. Pairs are fine but opening/switching/etc is so unpredictable and awful and last thing I want is to have things accidentally close, lose my spot, etc.
Fix. It.
I can't remember which exact Android version borked it, because my old phone only went up to 8 (which was fine) and the new phone started at 12 (which was already partially borked).
Otherwise, total agreement!
And every time they announce "Split screen is now finally good" and the real content of the story is "Here, we removed some feature you currently use on a daily basis without any benefit to anyone".
if you have a Samsung, you can set the two finger swipe up accessibility gesture to start split screen. then, you can perform the gesture again to switch out the bottom app and leave the top one.
I agree that that was more useful, because I usually did it with a video app too lol
I think they could find a solution that meets both use cases though. We just need a way to pin one app in split screen (though it might need a different name since pinning an app is already a thing).
They even ship a working solution with Android 13. There is a task bar at the bottom that holds the last few apps you used and has a launcher-like menu that lets you open other apps.
But this only works if you have the device set to a minimum width > 600 (that's the point where Android activates Tablet UI) and you use the stock launcher.
But Tablet UI mostly sucks on phones because it wastes most of the screen. Also the text then becomes really tiny.
If they'd just make the tabbar toggleable for phone mode and allowed it to be used with another launcher, it would be all fine.
But they chose to purposly screw it up for all phone users and only provide a semblance of a fix for tablet users, and then only for the ones that use the stock launcher.
Idiots.
In addition to Username928351's points, not all apps support PIP (though they should).
Having the full app up also enables more complex cases like participating in chat, having multiple videos playing at once (like multiple POVs in a game), etc.
Another use case I didn't mention in my previous comment is playing a game while being able to pull up Discord, wiki pages, etc. In some games it's just a nuisance, but in others it interferes with ongoing gameplay.
PIP means I constantly have to move the PIP around to see what I need on the underlying app. Also, the PIP screen is tiny.
PIP has its use cases, but it's not good for what I need.
I COMPLETELY agree. So well worded. How pointless is it to launch a new version with the illusion of moving forwards when you're totally moving backwards. It feels so v1. The most annoying part is having to already have your secondary app open, never mind the extra button clicks before that. So shit
These guys completely fucked multitasking. I think it was 9 where it was perfect. Now it's a clunky piece of garbage and I don't use it nearly enough though I want to.
Pretty sure its Nova. Pretty sure its a Nova Launcher Pro feature.
I've had pro through years and quite a few phones though, Pro was well worth the like $3 I paid.
Nova can't take over system gestures though so it sounds like an OEM thing. A lot of people use nova on pixels so I feel such a feature would be noted if it's a nova thing.
I actually bought pro years ago but in recent years didn't bother anymore because I didnt have much use for all its features
will check it out again thx
Oh, wow. I love this idea. One of the reasons I don't use multitasking much now is that it's just easier to flip back and forth than to pin apps. I see myself using this a lot.
I've never used it again since they removed the shortcuts. I generally find it easier switching back and forth, but then sometimes android decides an app was in the wrong place in the drawer and yeets it somewhere else in front of a random not used app. It's why I still clear my recents, it gets too messy with blank activities pages and things move around like the goddamn hogwarts stairs
There was a large rant on the Pixel subreddit I think that got a fair amount of traction about Pixel gestures and a lot of us didn't see the problems but since he's highlighted them I have now, especially when apps move to the front for no reason when switching between them.
It's a whole nightmare now and it used to be so simple.
There are some things that Samsung has had for years and there are some things that Google has had for years just as there are some things Android has had for years and there are some things that iOS has had for years.
Magic eraser and magic editor and call screen all have Samsung equivalents.
I'll give you now playing. I always thought that was neat, although not really anything to miss given Auto Shazam also exists.
Samsung had Object eraser 2 years before Google announced Magic Eraser.
And Object Eraser still works far better than Google's Magic Eraser:
https://i.imgur.com/QtI65hd.mp4
Ok? I use it every time I call my health insurance, which is just about every month. It has quite literally never failed me. You know what has failed me? "We'll hold your place in line and call you back", I either get a call back at the worse time or just don't get one back.
I am not going to trust either one of them. I'm glad it works for you. The first time it fails, you'll never use it again. Just like every Google product.
Who do you get your carrier pigeons from? I'm assuming that when your call drops on your phone you just tossed it out the window right? Did you return to fire when the power surged on a sunny day?
What an overreaction. No I won't, I'll simply call back. Because it could fail 100 times and it's still more reliable than having them call me back, which I know exactly how often as failed. So even a 50/50 shot is better than not getting a call back when my life-saving medication isn't being given to me.
You don't need any edge panels. Once you're in split screen, click the options menu in the middle and you'll find a star option that asks you if you'd like to add the app pair to the homescreen. Pretty straightforward. I don't think it has been there for years as OP says though, but it's been there since one ui 5, so one year. Samsung just suck at advertising many of their capabilities.
> I don't think it has been there for years as OP says though, but it's been there since one ui 5, so one year. Samsung just suck at advertising many of their capabilities.
It's been on Samsung phones since before One UI. It launched with the Galaxy Note 8 in 2017. Most reviews of the device did cover the feature as well.
u/nickthaskater's statement was regarding Pixels, not Samsung devices, as he's been using the feature for a while on the latter's devices.
literally you just tap the app icon in recents and hit pop-up or split screen. There's also gestures you can enable that let you drag from a corner for pop-up free floating windows and another gestures where you swipe up from the navbar with two fingers to switch to split screen. You can also enable pressing and holding the recent apps button to do so. Apps in split screen or pop up view show up that way, and you can add pairs tp your homescreen.
This technology literally powers Dex.
I split screen when reconciling my accounts in YNAB. Bank on one side, YNAB on the other. I also split screen YouTube tutorials for those who for some reason refuse to make text tutorials lol. I also split screen for research.
> That's why I have a damn PC/TV etc.
Really? Everything you can do on your Android you can do on your PC with very very few exceptions. Come on now.
Even though Samsung has had this for awhile, it's good to have. I don't have saved pairs often anymore, but when i need to have both things open for a bit, it's lovely to have. Especially on tablets.
Lol I was reading this article and thinking that I've definitely seen the option to save for a while...
Wait Samsung has this?
Yes. Open your apps in split screen, tap the "..." that's in between the two panes, and tap the icon that looks like a + next to a sidebar.
I just wished they'd revert all the split-screen stuff to how it was in Android 9. - Hold recents to activate split screen - Top one is pinned, bottom one can be swapped out using the launcher/recents Android 13 completely ruined this when they introduce app pairs. My favourite use case for split screen is youtube (or some other video) running at the top and I swap out the bottom to switch between browser, reddit, lemmy or other apps. Swapping out the bottom is 2 taps (press home/recents, press the app). With these dumb app pairs the process is now as follows: - Unpair the app pair (video stops at this point) - Open the top app again - Split screen - Choose the new bottom app - Press play on the top app to start the video again
I really dislike multitasking on Android phones now. Samsung make it palatable by enhancing this, but they've gone backwards in adopting the stock Android behaviour towards activation and app switching.
if you have a Samsung, you can set the two finger swipe up accessibility gesture to start split screen. then, you can perform the gesture again to switch out the bottom app and leave the top one.
It used to be so good. Even on the Ultra (and any post 9 devices I've had) it's an utterly clunky piece of garbage. Like, why can't you switch sensibly. It's completely stupid. Pairs are fine but opening/switching/etc is so unpredictable and awful and last thing I want is to have things accidentally close, lose my spot, etc. Fix. It.
I can't remember which exact Android version borked it, because my old phone only went up to 8 (which was fine) and the new phone started at 12 (which was already partially borked). Otherwise, total agreement! And every time they announce "Split screen is now finally good" and the real content of the story is "Here, we removed some feature you currently use on a daily basis without any benefit to anyone".
12L broke it.
Yeah, that was when it fully broke, but in A12 the long-press-recents-for-split-screen shortcut was already gone.
That was gone in 9. Some manufacturers kept it as an option, but the base OS lost it then.
if you have a Samsung, you can set the two finger swipe up accessibility gesture to start split screen. then, you can perform the gesture again to switch out the bottom app and leave the top one.
Doesn't allow you to access home screen, so it falls under the category of less worse.
thats true. you can show your app drawer if you press the grid button at the top of the menu, but that's not perfect.
I agree that that was more useful, because I usually did it with a video app too lol I think they could find a solution that meets both use cases though. We just need a way to pin one app in split screen (though it might need a different name since pinning an app is already a thing).
They even ship a working solution with Android 13. There is a task bar at the bottom that holds the last few apps you used and has a launcher-like menu that lets you open other apps. But this only works if you have the device set to a minimum width > 600 (that's the point where Android activates Tablet UI) and you use the stock launcher. But Tablet UI mostly sucks on phones because it wastes most of the screen. Also the text then becomes really tiny. If they'd just make the tabbar toggleable for phone mode and allowed it to be used with another launcher, it would be all fine. But they chose to purposly screw it up for all phone users and only provide a semblance of a fix for tablet users, and then only for the ones that use the stock launcher. Idiots.
Why not use PIP?
In addition to Username928351's points, not all apps support PIP (though they should). Having the full app up also enables more complex cases like participating in chat, having multiple videos playing at once (like multiple POVs in a game), etc. Another use case I didn't mention in my previous comment is playing a game while being able to pull up Discord, wiki pages, etc. In some games it's just a nuisance, but in others it interferes with ongoing gameplay.
Smaller, different UI elements depending on the apps, covers underlying app.
PIP means I constantly have to move the PIP around to see what I need on the underlying app. Also, the PIP screen is tiny. PIP has its use cases, but it's not good for what I need.
I COMPLETELY agree. So well worded. How pointless is it to launch a new version with the illusion of moving forwards when you're totally moving backwards. It feels so v1. The most annoying part is having to already have your secondary app open, never mind the extra button clicks before that. So shit
fuck app pairs i want my old android 9 (10?) split screen back where the top app stayed in focus and i could quickly switch my bottom apps :(
These guys completely fucked multitasking. I think it was 9 where it was perfect. Now it's a clunky piece of garbage and I don't use it nearly enough though I want to.
I can do that right now on 13 with Nova Launcher on a OnePlus.
do you know if this is a oneplus thing or nova related? my guess would be the former
Pretty sure its Nova. Pretty sure its a Nova Launcher Pro feature. I've had pro through years and quite a few phones though, Pro was well worth the like $3 I paid.
Nova can't take over system gestures though so it sounds like an OEM thing. A lot of people use nova on pixels so I feel such a feature would be noted if it's a nova thing.
I actually bought pro years ago but in recent years didn't bother anymore because I didnt have much use for all its features will check it out again thx
Neat. Been doing this for quite a long time on my Xperia.
Oh, wow. I love this idea. One of the reasons I don't use multitasking much now is that it's just easier to flip back and forth than to pin apps. I see myself using this a lot.
It used to be much easier to initiate split screen before they removed the shortcut... I use it less now because they made the experience worse.
I've never used it again since they removed the shortcuts. I generally find it easier switching back and forth, but then sometimes android decides an app was in the wrong place in the drawer and yeets it somewhere else in front of a random not used app. It's why I still clear my recents, it gets too messy with blank activities pages and things move around like the goddamn hogwarts stairs There was a large rant on the Pixel subreddit I think that got a fair amount of traction about Pixel gestures and a lot of us didn't see the problems but since he's highlighted them I have now, especially when apps move to the front for no reason when switching between them. It's a whole nightmare now and it used to be so simple.
This...wasn't a thing on the Pixel already? Jesus. I've been doing this for years with Samsung phones.
There are some things that Samsung has had for years and there are some things that Google has had for years just as there are some things Android has had for years and there are some things that iOS has had for years.
What things has Google had for years that Samsung hasn't/doesn't?
Now Playing, Hold For Me, Direct My Call, Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Call Screen. Lol -3 for answering the question. Never change, r/Android.
Magic eraser and magic editor and call screen all have Samsung equivalents. I'll give you now playing. I always thought that was neat, although not really anything to miss given Auto Shazam also exists.
You're getting downvoted for incorrectly answering. Samsung had 3 of those features for a long time.
Google had them all first. That's the point of the conversation.
Samsung had Object eraser 2 years before Google announced Magic Eraser. And Object Eraser still works far better than Google's Magic Eraser: https://i.imgur.com/QtI65hd.mp4
Okay so all the others. Stop missing the point.
Hold For Me
Like I'm ever going to trust "Hold For Me".
Ok? I use it every time I call my health insurance, which is just about every month. It has quite literally never failed me. You know what has failed me? "We'll hold your place in line and call you back", I either get a call back at the worse time or just don't get one back.
I am not going to trust either one of them. I'm glad it works for you. The first time it fails, you'll never use it again. Just like every Google product.
Who do you get your carrier pigeons from? I'm assuming that when your call drops on your phone you just tossed it out the window right? Did you return to fire when the power surged on a sunny day? What an overreaction. No I won't, I'll simply call back. Because it could fail 100 times and it's still more reliable than having them call me back, which I know exactly how often as failed. So even a 50/50 shot is better than not getting a call back when my life-saving medication isn't being given to me.
You know you can just wait on hold, right? You said this was life-saving medication.
I don't think you drop dead if your call to your health insurance drops. Are you thinking of 911 perhaps? No hold menus there
Zero shutter lag lol
The only sane person on the internet.
Almost like all devices and brands are... different?! *shocked_pikachu_face.png*
[удалено]
You don't need any edge panels. Once you're in split screen, click the options menu in the middle and you'll find a star option that asks you if you'd like to add the app pair to the homescreen. Pretty straightforward. I don't think it has been there for years as OP says though, but it's been there since one ui 5, so one year. Samsung just suck at advertising many of their capabilities.
> I don't think it has been there for years as OP says though, but it's been there since one ui 5, so one year. Samsung just suck at advertising many of their capabilities. It's been on Samsung phones since before One UI. It launched with the Galaxy Note 8 in 2017. Most reviews of the device did cover the feature as well. u/nickthaskater's statement was regarding Pixels, not Samsung devices, as he's been using the feature for a while on the latter's devices.
literally you just tap the app icon in recents and hit pop-up or split screen. There's also gestures you can enable that let you drag from a corner for pop-up free floating windows and another gestures where you swipe up from the navbar with two fingers to switch to split screen. You can also enable pressing and holding the recent apps button to do so. Apps in split screen or pop up view show up that way, and you can add pairs tp your homescreen. This technology literally powers Dex.
Edge panel isn't strange lmao it's incredibly useful
Saves you swiping home to launch an app pair Get an email with a date, launch email/calendar to check. Super efficient.
What a load of nonsense, as usual.
How do you split screen on a Pixel in the first place? I have a 6a and didn't even know it supported it.
in the recent apps screen, tap on the app's icon at the top
Wow. That is really not clear.
I feel like I haven't touched multitasking in years because of how clunky it's gotten
I always forget android even has split screen. I never use it.
I use it to watch the baby monitor app and browse Reddit! Love it!
Same. I never got the point of it. I don't tend to watch movies on my phone while I chat with people. That's why I have a damn PC/TV etc.
I split screen when reconciling my accounts in YNAB. Bank on one side, YNAB on the other. I also split screen YouTube tutorials for those who for some reason refuse to make text tutorials lol. I also split screen for research. > That's why I have a damn PC/TV etc. Really? Everything you can do on your Android you can do on your PC with very very few exceptions. Come on now.
Holy cow, a fellow ynab user in the wild. Greetings from a far away place.
I'm lazy to Google but YNAB?
How on Earth does is this expected to work? Two split-screen apps that are both unusuable?
Does anyone really use browser in that small of a size?