One of the anticipated features of iOS 9 for the iPad is the new split-screen multitasking capability.
Which devices support the Split-Screen features?
While iOS 9 will run on the iPad 2 and any model of iPad after, the split-screen feature is not available on all iPads under iOS 9. Nor is it available on any model of iPhone. Further, not all Apps support these split-screen modes yet.
There are three different split-screen modes (described below) and the set of devices supporting each mode are different:
- The simpler Slide-Over mode and Picture in Picture modes are available on the iPad Mini 2 or later Mini models, the iPad Air and Air 2 models, and the new iPad Pro.
- The Split view mode will only be available on the iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro.
| Device Support Matrix [1] |
| Device |
Slide Over |
Picture in Picture |
Split View |
| iPad Mini 2 |
X |
X |
|
| iPad Mini 3 |
X |
X |
|
| iPad Mini 4 |
X |
X |
X |
| iPad Air |
X |
X |
|
| iPad Air 2 |
X |
X |
X |
| iPad Pro |
X |
X |
X |
iOS 9 still supports the old-fashioned one-screen-at-a-time multitasking approach introduced in iOS 6. This is where you double-tap the Home button to see all of the running apps, then tap to select the one you want to switch to (or you can use the four-finger horizontal swipe gesture to move from one App to another).
What are the Split-Screen Modes?
Slide Over – provides a user-invoked overlay view on the right side of the screen (or on the left side in a right-to-left language version of iOS) that lets a user pick a secondary App to view and interact with. The secondary App is restricted to the right third of the screen. You can work in that right-hand screen while it’s open, but the App in the left-hand window is grayed out only showing the current state. When you tap the left-hand window to return to it, the right slide over window closes.
Split view – displays two side-by-side apps, letting the user view, resize, and interact with both of them. The divider between the two screens can be slid right and left to resize the screens. In this mode you can work in either App and both remain active. Tapping on a window moves the focus to that App. This allows you to data to copy/paste data between the windows.
Picture in Picture – lets a user play video in a movable, resizable window that floats over the apps onscreen.
How do you invoke a Split-Screen Mode?
Slide Over – This is the most basic of the split-screen modes that allows you to stay in the App you are currently in while accessing a second App. This mode works in when you have your iPad in either the Portrait or the Landscape orientation.
To move to Slide Over screen mode you first have to select the primary App for your split-screen (just select an App like normal). Then you invoke Slide Over mode and the running App will be resized to the left-hand two-thirds of the screen.
You invoke Slide Over mode by using an edge gesture, sliding a finger from the right edge of the screen to the left. How your iPad reacts will depend on the App you are running when you try to invoke Slide Over mode.
If the App you are running is compatible with Slide Over mode the left side will be grayed out and the right third of the screen will show a vertical list of icons of other Slide Over compatible Apps that you can access. The most recently used Apps will appear at the bottom of the list, with others above it. The list can be scrolled up and down to view the complete list of compatible Apps. Touching an App icon will open the selected App in the right third of the screen. In the example below, the Clock App was picked as the secondary App.
If an alternate App is desired, slide down the bar from the top of the right window and you return to the full list of compatible Slide Over Apps.
To return to the original App, touch the window on the left and
that App will take over the full screen again.
Split view – For those with the latest iPads the more advanced Split-Screen mode of Split View is available. Split View is initiated the same as Slide Over mode. However, the vertical bar dividing the left and right windows will have a ‘grab bar’ in the middle that will allow you to touch and hold the bar, then slide the divider left and right to resize the windows. Re-sizing the window changes operation from Slide Over to Split View mode.
If the ‘grab bar’ is not present, then one or both of the Apps opened are not compatible with Split View mode. In that case you can only use Slide Over with these two Apps.
The default Split View will shrink the primary window to about 66% of the screen, leaving the new window with about 33%. If you touch and drag the ‘drag bar’ to the left the Apps can share the screen 50%/50%. The 50%/50% view is only available in landscape mode. Only the primary App will display the status bar with the time, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and battery symbols at the top of it’s screen. Note that the primary and secondary Apps cannot be switched.
Now you have two Apps that are running side-by-side. You can switch between the windows by touching on the window to change the focus. Each window is independent, allowing the use of gestures within each window to zoom and scroll each independent of the other.
To exit the split-screen mode press the Home button. This will allow a new App to be chosen as the primary, or use the old-fashioned multitasking (double click on the Home button) to switch to a different App.
Picture in Picture – This isn’t so much a productivity feature, but an entertainment feature. though I can see how it would be useful to watch a how-to video while following along.
The Picture in Picture feature of iOS 9 is not tied to any particular App. To invoke Picture in Picture, bring up a video and play it as normal (videos in the Videos App, FaceTime App, or movies/TV shows downloaded from iTunes will work with this feature).
While watching a video in full screen mode, either click on the Home button (or the new button on a lower right corner of the video) to put the video playback in Picture in Picture mode. The video will continue to play in the floating window. Behind it you can continue to work with other Apps. The floating window can be moved around the screen to any of the four corners and you can use a two finger pinch to resize the window.
Not all Apps are compatible with split-screen mode. If they are not compatible, they won’t display in that right-hand window.
iOS 9 will remember split-screens. For example, a user can have Notes open with Clock on the left side. Click on the Home button to select a new App, such as Kindle. Then double click on the Home button and choose Notes again and you return to the split-screen view.
The “back to” Button
Another multitasking associated feature of iOS 9 is the introduction of the “back to” button. This feature is not tied to any particular hardware as best as I can tell. It works fine even with my older iPhone 5 running iOS 9.
The “back to” button, as the name implies allows you to return to an App. Let’s say you are working in a Notes document and click on a link that it contains (the iOS articles link in the example below). Your iPad will switch Apps from Notes to Safari and open the link.
That works as before, but now, instead of double clicking the Home button and selecting the Notes App to return to, you can simply use the “back to” button at the top left of the screen to return to Notes from Safari.
References:
[1] Adopting Multitasking Enhancements on iPad
See my other iOS articles
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