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Split screen isn’t a new feature for Android. It’s been around for many years, however it has continued to get better and be supported by more and more apps. It’s really been around since the original Galaxy Note launched in 2010. Though Android proper adopted it a few years later.
It is available on smartphones, but it is a lot more useful on a larger screen size like a tablet or a foldable. And on the Google Pixel Tablet, it does work pretty well. And in this article, we’re going to show you how to use Split Screen on the Pixel Tablet, and all the apps that work with it.
How to use Split Screen mode on Google Pixel Tablet
It’s pretty easy to enter into split screen mode, here’s how you can do it.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to enter the Recents screen.
Now, you’ll see a few options under the app you had opened most recently. Those options include Screenshot, Select and Split. Tap on Split.
Now, choose the other app you want to have in Split Screen. This can be an open app, or one that’s not open. Just swipe up from the bottom taskbar to open the App Drawer and choose your app.
After that, you’re in Split Screen mode.
Now this will also work directly from the taskbar. Just tap on an app icon and tap on the split option. Then choose the other app, and boom you’re in Split Screen.
How to exit Split Screen mode
Exiting split screen mode is quite easy. Just swipe up from the bottom to go home. And that will close both apps.
Now, if you want to keep one of the apps open, and close the other, just swipe the slider over to either side. So if you have Twitter on the left and TikTok on the right, and you want to keep TikTok open, swipe the slider over to the left, and Twitter will close.
How to change the size of apps in Split Screen mode
By default, apps will open in split screen mode with each app taking up half of the screen. However, some apps you might want to be wider, while others you may want to be thinner. Google does allow you to change this.
You’ll see a border between the two apps, with a white line (if you’re not in dark mode, it’ll be a white border with a black line). Tap and drag the white line over to the exact size that you want. You can do this as often as you want.
If you want to swap the position of the apps, maybe move one app from the left to right, just double tap on the line and it’ll swap the two apps for you.
The Pixel Tablet will also keep your app pairs in recents. That is, unless you open the app by itself. Which, then it will separate the two into separate apps.
What apps are supported by Google’s Split Screen mode
Most apps will work in Split Screen on the Pixel Tablet. Now on some other devices, this isn’t the case. But since the Pixel Tablet is larger and has a 16:10 aspect ratio, it does work with basically every app.
That even includes Instagram, which is notoriously bad for working on different aspect ratios – though it does also work on the Motorola Razr+’s front-display, which is a 1:1 display.
Does Instagram work perfectly in Split Screen mode? That depends on your definition. But it, Twitter and a few other apps are not optimized for tablets, so they may not fill the entire side of the display. Now if you have Twitter and Instagram open, Like I do above, and move the bar over so that Instagram fits better, then Twitter won’t fit properly. So either way, you’re going to have black lines here.
This is because Google is not forcing apps to use the full display, like some other OEMs do on their tablets and foldables. So you’re basically getting a phone sized app on this larger display. It does work better in portrait, except for Instagram.
Wrap Up
So that’s how you can use Split screen on the Pixel Tablet. It’s pretty versatile, and even works with multiple games running at the same time. Not that you’d want to do that anyways. But it is possible. It’s a great feature to have and be productive while using a tablet.
Some good options for using Split Screen is for watching video on one side and scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and others on the other side. Or having a doc open and research open on another side. It’s really pretty neat.