Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Tablets
  3. Computing
  4. News

Here’s what Android apps look like in Chrome OS split-screen view

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
Android Apps Running-Split Screen On A Chromebook

If Chrome OS is going to continue to make headway in the market, then it needs a strong ecosystem of apps to let users get what they want done on the platform. Allowing Android apps to run on Chrome OS has been Google’s main approach to solving that problem, and the company has done a decent job of making it happen. Now, it seems that an important milestone is being reached — enabling Android apps to run in split-screen mode.

Recommended Videos

That’s a very important capability as Google and various manufacturers work to push out Chrome OS tablets, to go with the increasing number of convertible 2-in-1s with displays that can flip around into tablet mode. Chrome Unboxed reports in with a demo of just this functionality, with split-screen Android apps running on a Samsung Chromebook Pro. Check out the video above for the demonstration.

The Chromebook Pro was running Chrome OS Canary, which is a very early pre-release version. That means that split-screen mode for Android apps is likely a few months away. But as you can see in the video, the split-screen functionality works a lot like it does in Windows 10. When you enter the multitask view, you’ll see the available running apps. Grab one and drag it to either side of the display, and it snaps to that side and fills half of the display. Picking another app and pinning it to the side fills the other half.

Also as with Windows 10, you can grab the divider and drag it to re-side the apps. Overall, it looks like welcome functionality that will greatly improve the Android app experience on Chrome OS. As the video points out, apps will need to specifically support the feature, and so that could have some impact on how quickly it’s rolled out.

Split-screen view joins a list of functionalities coming to Android apps on Chrome OS. Another is Android notification badges, which would be huge for Android productivity apps. And as Chrome Unboxed pointed out, Android apps will also be gaining the ability to run in parallel on the platform, which is important for making Chrome OS a true multitasking platform.

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Former Computing Writer
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
Topics
The iPad is finally getting the Affinity app creatives have been asking for
Affinity brings photo editing, vector design, page layout, and sketching together in one free iPad app.
Affinity UI on iPad

Affinity’s new all-in-one creative app is finally coming to the iPad, nearly a year after Canva launched the redesigned desktop version for Mac and Windows. Creatives have been asking for the iPad release ever since, especially because files created in the new Affinity app cannot be opened in the older V2 iPad apps.

Affinity already has Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps on iPad, but the new release combines those tools into the same unified app that Canva launched on desktop last year.

Read more
Apple’s “Pro and Tell” October 28 event: Everything we expect from touchscreen MacBooks to a new iMac
Prepare for a touchscreen MacBook that costs around $3,000.
Computer, Electronics, Laptop

Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind. 

The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year). 

Read more
Apple will only give you the fastest iPad mini chip if you pay $999, or more
The full A20 Pro experience on Apple’s new iPad mini is reserved for buyers spending at least $999.
Apple iPad mini with 6-core CPU

Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.

The $999 model gets more than extra storage

Read more