How to use Split Screen on iPad [all about Multitasking]

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Here’s a step by step guide on how to use split screen on iPad running on iPadOS 14 or iPadOS 15.

iPadOS 15 introduces a new Home Screen design with integrated widgets and the App Library, system-wide note-taking with Quick Note, enhanced multitasking, new features for FaceTime calls, a redesigned Safari experience, and more.

Multitasking has been redesigned in iPadOS 15 with a new multitasking menu at the top of apps. It let users enter Split View or Slide Over more easily, quick access to the Home Screen when using Split View. A new shelf allows for easier multitasking with apps that have multiple windows, and more, making it easier to work with multiple apps at once.

Multitasking on iPad with Split View is now as easy as swiping your finger. If you do not know how to use split screen on iPad, you’re missing out on one of the best multitasking options in the iPad ecosystem.

The iPad is so versatile that it sometimes feels like a complete replacement for your computer.

Multitasking enables you to use more than one app at once. The most useful iPad multitasking set-up is the one Apple calls Split View – which is effective, but far from discoverable. Once you do know how to find it and use it, Split View is useful for not just viewing two apps at once, but also interacting with them both by, for example, dragging images from one app to another.

Here’s how to use split screen on your iPad and multitask with Split View and Slide Over, or turn off these features completely.

How to activate Multitasking on iPad

Note: For this, you need to have the second app present in the dock of your iPad

  1. Split View requires you to at least have the second app in the Dock. Drag the app there if itโ€™s not present, or open and close the app once so it appears in the Dockโ€™s recent apps area on the right.
  2. Launch the first app that you want to use. It will open as it normally used to.
  3. Gently Drag the home bar from the bottom upwards till the dock is visible. (If you drag it too hard, you will return to the home screen).
  4. Tap and Hold on the second app.
  5. Drag it towards the right edge of the display.
  6. The two apps will appear side-by-side, and you can drag the divider bar between them to give the app more or less space.how to use split screen on ipad

If you drag an app out of the Dock and release it without going all the way to the screen’s edge, it’ll just float on top of the first app in a small window. This is another Multitasking feature called Slide Over.

how to use split screen on ipad
IMG Source: Apple

In this case, tap and hold the gray bar at the top of the floating app and drag it downward. This will put the two apps in split screen mode.

You can also close this floating app temporarily by swiping the gray bar on the floating window to the right. This will send the window flying off-screen. Just swipe left from the right edge of the display to bring it back.

Get rid of any app from Split View

If you already have two apps on the screen and want to close one of them, drag the divider bar all the way to the right or left. If you drag it to the right, the app on the right will be closed. If you drag it all the way to the left, the app on the left will be closed.

In both cases, the app that’s still open will go into full screen mode.

How to completely turn off the Split View aka Multitasking feature

If you do not like this feature and don’t want to accidentally open apps side-by-side, you can disable it entirely.

how to enable multitasking on ipad
  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap “General“.
  3. Then, tap on “Multitasking & Dock“.
  4. Turn off “Allow Multiple Apps“.

Tips to tap into the full potential of Split View

Here are a few tips to try while multitasking on iPad:

  1. Drag and drop text, photos and files from one Split View app to another.how to use split screen on ipad
  2. Open two instances of the same app side-by-side, to compare documents.
  3. Tap-hold Safariโ€™s tab button and use Open New Windows to quickly get a two-up Safari view. (Merge All Windows reverts to one full-screen window.)
  4. Drop a third app on the app divider and it will sit above Split View in Slide Over mode โ€” handy for apps that you want to view temporarily.
  5. Tap-hold a Split View appโ€™s horizontal tab at the top of the screen and drag downward to switch it to Slide Over view.
  6. Add app folders to the Dock if you find yourself using many of them in Split View.

This is all that you might need to know about Split View. Let us know which apps do you use with Split View the most and which tip did you like the most.

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AUTHOR.

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Shaikh Adil

Adil is a writer at ytechb. He started caring about technology after he got his first iPhone. He likes to help others by posting tips & tricks and providing solutions regarding iOS problems. When not at work, he enjoys playing football, watching movies, watching tech videos on YouTube, listening to music and podcasts and playing video games.

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