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Post your uses for split screen.

miamialley

miamialley

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 28, 2008
3,588
1,056
California, USA
I work in health care and just realized a handy use of split screen for me. Regularly, I have to take some online courses for my professional license, so it will be much easier for me to go split screen and have the test questions on open on one side, while having the PDF of the article open on the other. I constantly have to switch back and forth now, using my iPad.
 
Jotting down notes from a website.
Putting info into a spreadsheet from an email.

The biggest benefit for me will be that I won't be disorientated when copying & pasting things from apps, or jotting down in notes. It's easy to lose your place & train of thought then switching back-and-forth between apps.
 
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I can't wait for the devs to update their apps to support this feature...could be especially handy with apps like GoodNotes and Paper, where I could use my bluetooth connected styluses, writing down notes and outlining and at the same time watching a video, reading any content etc...
 
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originalmagneto said:
I can't wait for the devs to update their apps to support this feature...could be especially handy with apps like GoodNotes and Paper, where I could use my bluetooth connected styluses, writing down notes and outlining and at the same time watching a video, reading any content etc...
Click to expand...
Have you tried enabling PIP and split view altogether? This should be really cool. :)
 
Messages open in the small pane with Safari or whatever in the big one is the main use case for me.
 
I'm going to be really boring and just say the obvious, because it's probably what I'll be doing, Netflix and chrome/safari, browse while I watch stuff.

The options are limitless though, I guess, I just don't have much faith in developers updating their apps to use it! :p
 
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So a use case I had.

I loaded up a website that had a live youtube streaming video embedded on it. I clicked that, clicked pip, and put it in the bottom right corner of the screen.

I then opened a new tab and started browsing the web.

I then dragged the multitasking panel out, opened it to messages and move the PiP to the top right.

This kept the pip completely out of my web browser space, and not blocking the most resent messages coming in.

So it is actually possible to have three things going at once right now.
 
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Will my iPad 4 be able to do anything with the split screen stuff at all? I'm still on 7.1.2. Maybe I should just leave it there!
 
imagineadam said:
Will my iPad 4 be able to do anything with the split screen stuff at all? I'm still on 7.1.2. Maybe I should just leave it there!
Click to expand...
No. These are the following multitasking features, and what devices they support.

Slide Over (pull an overlay of a different app from the right side, stops what you are doing and darkens it in the background):
iPad Air
iPad Air 2
iPad mini 2
iPad mini 3

PiP (picture in picture, pops out a video when you exit an app so it continues to play in an adjustable mini player):

iPad Air
iPad Air 2
iPad mini 2
iPad mini 3

Split View (two apps in real time running side by side):
iPad Air 2
 
XTheLancerX said:
No. These are the following multitasking features, and what devices they support.

Slide Over (pull an overlay of a different app from the right side, stops what you are doing and darkens it in the background):
iPad Air
iPad Air 2
iPad mini 2
iPad mini 3

PiP (picture in picture, pops out a video when you exit an app so it continues to play in an adjustable mini player):

iPad Air
iPad Air 2
iPad mini 2
iPad mini 3

Split View (two apps in real time running side by side):
iPad Air 2
Click to expand...
Bummer. So basically ipad4 owners don't get much of anything. I would think the hardware is powerful enough to support at least the slide over and even the picture in picture. I think it's actually possible already if I jailbroke. Might have to go that route!
 
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I'll find it pretty useful for replying to email with a document reference on the other half. Picked up an Air 2 a couple of months ago to use as a second screen while traveling. Should be a nice tool on the road.
 
imagineadam said:
Bummer. So basically ipad4 owners don't get much of anything. I would think the hardware is powerful enough to support at least the slide over and even the picture in picture. I think it's actually possible already if I jailbroke. Might have to go that route!
Click to expand...
Im guessing that a Jailbreak tweak can enable this once iOS 9 is out.
 
Without third party apps I have been using it a lot with Safari.
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I don't suppose you can have two Safari windows open side by side can you? You'd have to get another web browser app.
 
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Traverse said:
I don't suppose you can have two Safari windows open side by side can you? You'd have to get another web browser app.
Click to expand...

You can't use two Safari windows at the same time, at the moment. I guess if Chrome updates it'll work!
 
I just realized I hardly ever have two windows side by side on OS X, why would I do it on an iPad? There are occasions of course, and having that option is definitely a plus.
 
Interestingly, I've noticed that, at least for Safari, the "main" app continues to run on at least some level when it's dimmed on an iPad Mini 2. Like, pages will load in the "background." Presumably a large part of the restriction is simply that keeping two apps in an interactable state simultaneously is more than the iPad Mini 2 can handle without unacceptable performance hits.
 
For me the biggest use case is going to be balancing my checkbook. Being able to have my bank's app open in one window and the app that I built to mange my finances in the other is going to save a ton of double taps on my home button.
 
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