Android 16 Makes Split Screen Easier on Smaller Screens

Stock Android added the concept of App Pairs back in Android 15. You choose two apps to use in split screen mode, add a shortcut to the paired apps to the home screen, and it's now trivially easy to trigger split screen multitasking (instead of having to perform multiple tap and drag gestures).

It sounds neat, but I never really used it, because on my small Pixel 9a, using apps in 50:50 split-screen mode is hardly user-friendly. There's just not enough room on the screen for each app to take up half of it and still be usable. But that changed with Android 16, thanks to a small update to how split screen works.

In Android 16, the split screen ratios for app pairs are much more flexible. You can have two apps in 70:30, or even 90:10. And once you get used to the idea of 90:10 split screen multitasking, things really start to flow.

For example, I have an app pair for my Chrome and Gemini apps. Chrome for browsing, and Gemini for research.

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Chrome is usually my maximized app, taking up 90% of my screen space, while Gemini is docked at the bottom, minimized. But with one tap, Gemini comes to the front and Chrome takes a back seat. And I can keep switching between the two just as easily. This is much faster than using Android's multitasking menu.

How to set up App Pairs with 90:10 split screen multitasking

To set up an App Pair and try this out for yourself, you'll first need to create a split screen pair. Open the two apps that you want to pair, and then go to the multitasking view (swipe up from the Home bar and hold for a second). Tap the name of the first app you want to open and choose the Split screen option. Then choose another app to pair it with. You'll now enter a 50:50 split screen view. Grab the handle in between the two apps and drag it all the way up or all the way down to trigger the 90:10 split. Alternatively, you can also set up a 70:30 split by leaving some extra space on your second app.

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Now, go back to the multitasking view, tap on one of the app names, and choose the Save app pair option.

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

After that, you'll find the app pair as a shortcut on your home screen. Tap on it to launch your pre-configured app combo. And yes, it does remember your last used split screen ratio, saving you some valuable setup time.

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