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Unlock Lightning-Fast Split-Screen Mode with Android's Hidden App Pairs Feature
I sometimes use two apps in split-screen mode on my Android phone. It was a hassle to launch those apps and then enable the split-screen mode every single time. I found a better way to do things, and I’ll show you how you can use it, too.
Why I Wanted a Faster Way to Launch Two Apps Together
I wanted a way to launch apps in split-screen mode faster because the default way takes a lot of time. You pick the first app, access the recent apps menu, tap the app’s icon at the top, select the split-screen mode option, choose the other app you want to use in this mode, and so on.
I sometimes browse the web while watching YouTube videos, and that meant I wanted a faster way to open YouTube and Google Chrome in split-screen mode on my phone. Then, I came across App Pairs.
What Are App Pairs on Android?
App Pairs, as the name suggests, is a built-in Android feature that allows you to launch two apps in split-screen mode with a single tap. You basically create a pair containing the apps you want to open in split-screen mode. Then, when you tap this pair’s icon on your home screen, both your apps open, each covering half the area on your screen.
Note that not all apps support split-screen mode, which means those apps won't work with App Pairs. Apps like Netflix won't work in split-screen mode, likely due to DRM reasons. Some banking apps also won't work in this mode due to security reasons. Android's Developer Options menu offers an option called "Force Activities to Be Resizable," which you can use to force apps to work in split-screen mode. However, it isn't guaranteed that those non-supported apps will work as expected. Either the apps will crash or the user interface won't work.
How to Create an App Pair on Android
I find making an App Pair on my Android phone to be the easiest thing to do. You simply choose the apps you want to use in split-screen mode and then proceed to create the pair. Here’s how.
On your phone, launch the first app you want to use in split-screen mode. Keep this app open and launch the other app you’d like in split-screen mode. Open the recent apps menu, tap and hold on your first app’s icon at the top, and choose "Split Screen." (You’re basically entering split-screen mode on your phone.)
Select your other app that you want to use in split-screen mode, and the mode is now activated. To now turn this into an App Pair, bring up the recent apps menu. At the top of your screen, tap and hold on your app icons, and choose "Save App Pair."
Your phone will save the App Pair on your home screen. You can now tap this App Pair icon to launch both your pre-selected apps in split-screen mode. Easy peasy.
In the future, if you want to remove an App Pair from your home screen, you can do so. Simply drag and drop your App Pair onto "Remove," and the App Pair will be deleted. Note that removing the App Pair doesn’t uninstall the apps contained in it. And, you can always create a new App Pair whenever you want.
There Are Many Interesting and Useful Use Cases of App Pairs
App Pairs have many interesting use cases. As long as what you want to do is launch two apps in split-screen mode with a single tap, an App Pair is the best way to do that.
I use App Pairs for YouTube and Chrome, allowing me to watch my favorite videos while still letting me surf the web. Another use is to use Gmail with Google Keep to read emails and make notes. You can also use it with Google Docs and Google Translate to translate as you write your documents.
If you use WhatsApp, you can keep the Gallery app open in split-screen mode to quickly and easily pick the photos and videos you want to share with your contacts.
App Pairs might not be a feature that everyone talks about, but it’s extremely useful, as you can see above. It simply removes the hassle of going through several steps to launch your apps in split-screen mode; you simply create an App Pair and tap it to open your apps.