Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Tablets
  3. Android
  4. Mobile
  5. How tos

How to use Split Screen View on a Samsung tablet

Add as a preferred source on Google
Holding the Galaxy Tab S8 in hand and showing multiple apps running simultaneously.
Nadeem Sarwar / DigitalTrends

There are a number of reasons to buy one of the best Samsung tablets. Perhaps you need a big and beautiful screen to really punch through that Netflix watchlist. You might be looking to harness the power of the S Pen to create some masterpieces. Or you may be looking for a capable gaming tablet and work machine. Samsung's Galaxy Tab range can handle all of these roles, and do it with ease.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • A Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet

  • Android 9.0 Pie or later

But no matter your needs, it's important to make the most of a big screen. Having a larger screen is the major advantage of a tablet over a smartphone, and that large screen is particularly well-suited to multitasking and showing multiple apps at once. So whether you're checking directions while messaging, taking notes while sitting in a meeting, or reading a book while keeping an eye on social media, here's how to use split-screen view on a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet.

Holding the Galaxy Tab S8 in hand and showing multiple apps running simultaneously.
Nadeem Sarwar / DigitalTrends

How to use split-screen mode in Android 9.0 Pie and later

The easiest way to use split-screen mode is by using Android's built-in tools. Split-screen view was introduced on Samsung devices in Android 9.0 Pie — over four years ago now — and so most modern Samsung tablets should have access to this feature. Here's how to use it.

Step 1: Open the first app for split-screen view. This isn't required, but you do need to be able to find the app on your recent apps list.

how to use split screen on any samsung tablet recent apps view galaxy tab
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Open your recent apps list by either swiping up from the bottom of your tablet and holding it for a second, or by tapping the Recent apps button in your navigation bar.

Step 3: Tap your chosen app's icon.

how to use split screen on any samsung tablet recent apps 2 view galaxy tab
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Tap Open in split-screen view.

how to use split screen on any samsung tablet with app drawer view galaxy tab
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Your app will open on the right-hand side, and your app drawer will open on the left.

how to use split screen on any samsung tablet in view galaxy tab
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: Select the second app you want to open in your app drawer and it'll pop-up next to your first app.

From here, you can use the two apps as you normally would, but there are some other tricks you can use as well. You can resize the windows by dragging the bar between the two, but you can also open one app in Pop-up View instead.

How to turn off split screen on a Samsung tablet

When you are ready to turn off split screen, open up the Recent apps list again. At the top, there should be an 'X' you can tap to stop the split screen mode. Alternatively, you can swipe the partition bar all the way to one side, making the remaining app fullscreen.

how to use split screen on any samsung tablet pop up view from galaxy tab
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Opening an app in a pop-up window

Instead of opening your chosen app in split-screen mode, you can instead open it in a little pop-up window. You can do this from the recent apps menu, or while you already have an app open in split-screen view.

To open from the recent apps menu:

Step 1: Open your recent apps menu.

Step 2: Tap the app's icon and select Open in pop-up view.

Already have the app open in split-screen view? Here's how to turn it into a pop-up window.

Step 1: Tap the blue line at the top of the app.

Step 2: Select the Pop-up View icon. It should be the first one on the list.

Mark Jansen
Former Mobile Evergreen Editor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
Motorola may have built the iPad alternative Android users have been waiting for
The Moto Pad 70 could be the affordable tablet that finally gets the basics right
Computer, Electronics, Laptop

Motorola has revealed the Moto Pad 70, a new mid-range Android tablet with a large display, stylus support, 5G connectivity, and a sizeable battery.

The tablet will launch in India on August 8 through Flipkart. Its 12.1-inch 2.5K display, included Moto Pen, 10,200mAh battery, and 68W charging give it several features that could appeal to people considering Apple’s base iPad. However, the mid-range Dimensity 6400 processor means it is unlikely to match the iPad in raw performance.

Read more
Qualcomm is set to ratchet up chip prices in September, and your next gadget upgrade could bear the brunt
The price hike could touch every Snapdragon-powered device category.
The new Qualcomm Snadragon 8 Elite Gen 5

I want you to sit with this for a second. Qualcomm, the company whose Snapdragon chips sit inside your Android phone and tablet, your Windows laptop, your Meta smart glasses, your Galaxy Watch, and your wireless earbuds, reportedly sent a letter to every major customer telling them prices are going up by double digits. 

The price hike will be in effect from September 1, 2026, a recent Bloomberg report claims. Essentially, all the companies placing their chip orders after that will pay a higher price. 

Read more
Stop losing your notes and start the school year with one of these e-readers that double as notebooks
Three e-readers with pen support worth adding to your back to school shopping list.
A person using the Amazon Kindle Scribe and its stylus.

Your backpack is heavier than it needs to be. Multiple notebooks for all your classes, a stack of printed PDFs, and nothing that talks to anything else. The notes from week two are in a different notebook than the notes from week six, and you'd be lucky to find either one in December.

One device that you can use to read books and PDFs, take notes, and keep everything organized would fix this, and that's exactly what e-readers with pen input support are built to do. And you don't need to spend what you'd drop on textbooks for a semester to get one either. I've rounded up six worth buying this back-to-school season, and I'll tell you exactly who each one is for.

Read more