How to Use Split Screen on Android to View Two Apps at Once

Split screen is one of Android's most underused features. It lets you run two apps simultaneously — one on the top half of your screen and one on the bottom. This is especially handy when you want to look up something while staying in another app, or follow recipe steps while watching a video.

Android has supported split screen since version 7, but the way you activate it has changed across different phone brands. This guide covers the most common methods so it works regardless of whether you have a Samsung, Pixel, Motorola, or other Android phone.

The most reliable way to activate split screen is through the Recent Apps view — the screen that shows all your open apps. From there, you can tell Android which two apps to display at once.

Split screen works best on larger phones. On a standard-sized phone (6 inches or smaller), each app gets only half the screen, which can feel cramped for some apps. On tablets and larger phones (6.5 inches and up), split screen is much more comfortable.

Not all apps support split screen. Most Google apps, messaging apps, and browsers do. Some games and certain streaming apps may refuse to run in split screen mode.

When you're done multitasking, merging back to a single app takes one second. This feature is worth learning — once you get used to it, going back to one app at a time feels limiting.