Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is engaged on letting you set three apps into split-screen mode.
- This function will probably solely be out there on tablets resulting from their bigger display screen measurement.
- The inspiration for this function could have come from OnePlus and its Open Canvas function.
We’re nonetheless months away from the discharge of Android 16, the following main model of Android. Provided that we’ve solely seen two developer previews to this point, there’s nonetheless lots we don’t learn about what’s coming within the massive replace. Nonetheless, whereas digging by the second developer preview, I discovered some clues a couple of main improve doubtlessly coming to split-screen mode. Android 16 could also be implementing a multitasking system impressed by Open Canvas from OnePlus, which is broadly thought of top-of-the-line approaches to split-screen multitasking on tablets.
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The Open Canvas multitasking system debuted on the OnePlus Open, the corporate’s first book-style foldable cellphone, earlier than making its approach to the OnePlus Pad and the OnePlus Pad 2. Open Canvas allows you to run as much as three apps side-by-side, with two apps sharing 90% of the display screen and the third occupying the remaining 10%. The genius of this implementation is that, whereas the third app is normally far too small to be usable, it may be rapidly enlarged by tapping anyplace on the app window.
Tapping like that shifts the display screen in order that the leftmost app now takes up 10% of the display screen whereas the center and rightmost apps take up the remaining 90%. You may swap app positions, change apps by dragging and dropping from the taskbar, or view all three apps by performing a four-finger pinch gesture.
Since Open Canvas is a proprietary function, it isn’t out there on different Android tablets. Nonetheless, I’ve uncovered proof suggesting Google is engaged on a revamped multitasking system with potential similarities to Open Canvas. Whereas digging by Android 16 DP2, I discovered code for an in-development “versatile” split-screen mode. With a little bit of tinkering, I managed to allow this new mode on my Pixel system. This new “versatile” split-screen mode is much from prepared, although, so I wasn’t in a position to truly get three apps into split-screen mode.
Once I opened two apps in split-screen mode after which tried to pull and drop a 3rd app, I observed that there have been previews for 3 positions I may drop the app in. This implies that Google is certainly engaged on implementing help for three-way split-screen multitasking in Android 16, akin to the Open Canvas system discovered on OnePlus units.
With the introduction of desktop windowing help within the first quarterly launch of Android 15, some could discover this revamped split-screen mode to be redundant. Nonetheless, this new split-screen mode gives an easier person expertise and can probably combine with the brand new app pairs function for state saving. Desktop windowing’s means to deal with greater than three apps gives larger flexibility, however many customers not often want that many, notably given the restricted display screen area on most units.