Gone are the days when smartphones were small and cramped, and multitasking on them was a distant dream. With the adoption of larger screens and more flexible software, smartphones make it easier than ever to do more than once. The split screen, a native feature of Android, already allows you to work with two applications at the same time. Now, Google is reportedly working on a way to make multitasking even easier, with a new feature of application pairs to launch two applications simultaneously.
Split screen multitasking on Android 11 (left); Mockup of application pairs on Android 12 (right)
As seen in the image above, a pair of applications would be treated as a not married application, and users will also be able to switch to a different application or pair of applications – it is currently not possible to switch to a different application without breaking the existing split screen configuration. The divider is also acquiring new functionality and should be able to swap the positions of the application with a quick double tap.
If this feature is important, it is because some smartphone manufacturers have already implemented something very similar. For example, Samsung launched its own version in 2017 on the Galaxy Note8. Microsoft’s first Android phone, the Surface Duo, also featured a similar feature that allowed users to open different applications on their two monitors at the same time.
Google may be a little late for the party, but we’re still happy it’s showing up.
