With iOS 9 and above, you can now use two apps at the same time on the iPad Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7 inch and iPad Pro 12.9 with Split View multitasking. It’s very easy to use, and we’ll show you how it works on the iPad so you can boost your productivity or just watch a video while you browse the web.
Apple calls it Split-View, but many users just call it multitasking, multi-window mode, or some other variation of being able to use two apps at the same time on the iPad.
You’ll need iOS 9 or higher, and you’ll need an iPad Air 2 or iPad Pro. You can use some of iPad’s multitasking features on older iPads, but side-by-side multitasking only works on these two newer iPads.
Learn how to use two apps at the same time on the iPad with iOS 9.
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Make sure you are on iOS 9 or higher and have updated your apps to the latest versions for this to work. Many apps are compatible with this and the feature will support using two Safari windows in iOS 10.
How to Use Split View on iPad
The Split View function is accessible when you are in an application. The first thing to do is therefore to choose the main application that you want to use. Both apps must support the new Split View multitasking, otherwise you won’t be able to swipe to run two apps side-by-side on the iPad.
For this demonstration, we will mainly use Apple applications as well as Twitter, which is already compatible with the new mode. The video above explains how Split View works on the iPad Air 2 with iOS 9. It works with many more apps than in the video above.
Open Safari or another compatible application. Now swipe from the right side of the screen.
This will put you in a mode that covers about a third of your screen and it can already display an item. If it shows an app you don’t want, pull down the top of the third screen to show more apps. Scroll and choose the app you want to use side by side on iPad with iOS 9.
This is what iOS 9 multitasking looks like.
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After choosing an app, it will only fill a small portion of the screen to start. Now tap and drag the small bar to expand it, taking up half the screen or more. If there is no slide bar, your main window application is not yet compatible.
In multitasking mode, you can work in both windows and you can still use the on-screen keyboard. I prefer to use a Bluetooth keyboard so I have more space to use both screens and be able to do a lot more while I’m using Split View with a full screen at my disposal.
When you’re done, swipe the right window all the way to the right or press your home button to exit Split View.
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