Samsung Galaxy Fold phones are one of the best phones for multitasking, as you can do almost everything imaginable. For instance, multitasking mode (aka split screen or multi window mode) allows you to run multiple apps at the same time on your phone’s screen. This article includes the best tips for making the most of split screen on Samsung Galaxy Fold phones.
Note: split screen works on both the cover and the main screen of foldable phones. You can also multitask in either landscape or portrait mode.
1. Put Apps in Split Screen Mode
There are two ways to put apps in split screen mode on Galaxy fold phones.
Tip: you can use up to three apps at a time in split screen mode.
Method 1: From Recent Apps Screen
Launch the first app you want to use in split screen mode.Open the “Recent apps” screen by pressing the “Recents” icon to the left of the Home button.Press on the app’s icon at the top for the app to be used in split screen mode.
Hit “Open in split screen view.”The first app will take over the half of the screen, and you will get the list of installed apps on the other half. Find the second app for split screen view and tap on it to open it.
You can use the two apps simultaneously, change their orientation from portrait to landscape and vice versa, open more than three apps, adjust the size of an app and much more as shown in the following tips.
Method 2: From Edge Panel
Samsung’s Edge Panel or Multitasking Tray is quite handy on Galaxy Fold phones, as it lets you open apps in split screen mode.
- Launch the first app on your phone.Without minimizing the first app, open Edge Panel by swiping on the Edge handle present on the right side.
Note: if you don’t see the Edge handle, go to “Settings → Display → Edge panels” and turn the function on.
Swipe left on the Edge Panel to open the “Apps” panel. Here you will find recently-opened and favorite apps.
Touch and hold the app icon and drag it to the top, bottom, right, or left edge, depending on wherever you want to put it. You will see “Drag here to open” as you move the app icon. Leave the app icon to open the app in split screen mode.
If you don’t see the desired app in step #4, tap on the three-bar icon at the bottom of the “Apps” panel.
Select “All apps” to view all the installed apps, then repeat step #4 to open the app in split screen mode.
Alternatively, you can add your most used apps to the Edge Panel for faster access. To do so, open the “Apps” panel in the Edge Panel, tap on the three-bar icon and select “Edit.”
Tap on the app from the left side to add it to the panel. To remove any app from the panel, press the red (-) remove icon on the app icon.
Pro Tip: use this method to replace an existing app with a new app in split screen mode.
2. Open Three Apps in Split Screen Mode
One of the major advantages of the Galaxy Fold series, especially the Fold 3, is that it lets you use three apps in split screen view. To do so, follow these steps:
Put the two apps in split screen mode as shown above. Open the Edge Panel once again.
Drag the third app to the desired top or bottom edge of the screen. Make sure to drag the app icon to the left or right side and not to the center.
3. Resize Apps in Split Screen View
When you put two apps in split screen mode, both will occupy equal real estate on the screen by default. You can, however, adjust the size of the apps and keep one app larger than the other by following the below steps.
Touch and hold the three-dot icon present between the two apps and drag it to the right side if you want to increase the size of the app panel on the left side. Similarly, drag it to the left side to increase the size of the right app.
Likewise, drag the icon up or down if the two apps are split horizontally.
4. Swap Position of Apps
If you want to put the right app on the left side or vice versa, you don’t need to split the apps again from scratch.
Tap on the three-dot icon present between the apps.
Press the two-arrow icon to swap the apps to the other side.
5. Change Orientation of Split Screen
Generally, the apps will be split vertically on the Galaxy Fold phones, but this orientation isn’t enjoyable if you want to read while watching something, for example. Thankfully, you can change the orientation to horizontal split screen and back to vertical quite easily.
Press the three-dot icon between the two apps.
Tap on the two circular arrow icons to change the orientation. Press on it multiple times to see all of the available orientations.
6. Open App Pair from Recent Apps Screen
If you are using apps in split screen view and need to minimize the view, know that minimizing the apps will not close the split screen mode.
Open the “Recent apps” screen to find the temporary app pairs. Tap on the app pair to open the apps in split screen view again.
7. Remove Split Screen View
To close split screen mode on Samsung Galaxy Fold phones, drag the app window that you want to keep open to the other edge by using the three-dot icon between the apps to automatically close the second app.
Alternatively, open the “Recent apps” screen and swipe up on the temporary app pair to close it.
Or, you can tap on the blue bar present in the top center of the app that you want to close.
Hit the “X” icon. The other app will be maximized.
8. Open Apps Automatically in Split Screen View Using App Pairs
The Galaxy Fold series allows you to create permanent app pairs for up to three apps. The app pair will be saved to the Edge Panel. You can automatically open the saved apps in split screen view by simply tapping on the app pair. For instance, you can create an app pair for Twitter and YouTube if you frequently use them simultaneously. Follow these steps to create, open, and delete app pairs in Samsung Galaxy Fold phones:
Tip: This feature is available on all Samsung Galaxy phones that support Edge Panel.
Open the desired apps in split screen mode.Tap on the three dots between the apps and hit the app pair icon (third one in the menu).
You will see an animation suggesting that the app pair has been saved to the Edge Panel.To open two or three apps at once in split screen, open the Edge Panel and tap on the app pair icon.
To delete an app pair, open the Edge Panel and tap on the three-bar icon.
Select “Edit.”
Press the (-) remove icon on the app pair.
9. Put Apps in Pop-Up View
In addition to the regular split screen view, you can also use apps in pop-up view on Galaxy Fold phones. As the name suggests, the app will open in a pop-up window. You can move it anywhere on the screen, change its transparency and size, or minimize it to a bubble so that you can access it anytime without interfering with other apps.
Note: the pop-up view works with or without putting apps in split screen mode.
There are two ways to put apps in pop-up mode:
- Launch the app on your phone and go to the “Recent apps” screen.Tap on the app icon at the top.Select “Open in pop-up view” from the menu.
Just as you can put apps in split screen view from Edge Panel, you can do the same for pop-up view.
Open the Edge Panel and drag the app that you want to open in pop-up view to the center of the screen.
You can open multiple apps in pop-up view. All of them will be minimized under one bubble. Tap on the bubble to see the list of open pop-up windows.
Pro Tip: In the app’s pop-up view, tap on the blue bar to maximize, minimize pop-up view, change its opacity, or close it.
10. Switch from Split Screen View to Pop-Up and Vice Versa
If an app is in split screen view, you can directly open it in pop-up view. Follow the below instructions.
Tap on the blue bar of the app and tap on the “Pop-up” icon (two-windows icon).
Similarly, if an app is open in pop-up view, and you want to put it in split screen mode, tap on the blue bar and press the “Split screen” icon (box split into two halves). Make sure that one app is already open, otherwise the “Split screen” icon will appear greyed out.
11. Use More than Three Apps on One Screen
Split screen mode in combination with pop-up view lets you open more than three apps at a time.
In our testing, six apps opened perfectly fine. Basically, you need to open three apps in split screen mode, then open other apps in pop-up view.
12. Pin Edge Panel to Screen
Typically, you must open the Edge Panel every time you want to open an app or put it in split screen view. The Samsung Galaxy Fold series lets you pin the Edge Panel to the screen so that it stays open all the time, thus offering a faster approach to access apps from Edge Panel.
To pin the Edge Panel, aka Multi window tray, to the screen, follow these steps:
Go to “Settings → Advanced features → Labs.”
Enable the toggle next to “Pin your favorite apps.”
Open Edge Panel. Tap on the three-bar icon and press the “Pin” option.
The Edge Panel will show up as a taskbar on the screen. To unpin the Edge Panel, tap the “Pin” icon on the Edge Panel.
13. Open Links in Split Screen Mode
On Samsung Galaxy Fold phones, you can directly open links in split screen mode. There are two ways to do so.
Method 1: Using Samsung Internet Browser
Touch and hold a link in a web page in the Samsung Internet browser and drag it to the extreme top, bottom, right, or left edge of the screen.
Doing so will open another Samsung Internet windows in a split screen mode. You can even drag the link to the center of the screen to open it in pop-up view. This feature is available only in the Samsung Internet browser.
Pro Tip: did you know that Samsung keyboards offers a split screen view? Learn how to use Samsung Keyboard like a pro.
Method 2: Using Any Browser
Touch and hold the link in any browser, like Chrome or Firefox, and select “Open in other window.”
That will open the link in split screen mode in a new browser window.
Pro Tip: you can directly open multiple windows in the Chrome browser by tapping on the three-dot icon of Chrome.
14. Enable Split Screen View for Non-supported Apps
Not all apps support split screen or pop-up view. Thankfully, Samsung Galaxy Fold phones offer a way to force apps to open in the split screen mode.
- Enable the toggle for “Multi window for all apps.”
15. Hide Status and Navigation Bar in Split Screen View
For a better experience while using apps in split screen mode, you can hide the status and navigation bar. This will put apps in full screen mode, thus avoiding any distraction coming from the status or navigation bar.
- Visit “Settings → Advanced features → Labs.”Enable the toggle for “Full screen in Split screen view.”
16. Watch Two Videos at Same Time
Ever wanted to watch or listen to two videos at the same time? You would be surprised to know that it’s possible with the Samsung Galaxy Fold phones. You need to use the help of “Sound Assistant module” in Good Lock to use this feature.
Install Good Lock on your Samsung Galaxy Fold phone from the Galaxy Store.Open the Good Lock app and tap on the “Family” tab.
Press the “Install” button next to the “Sound Assistant” module.
Once installed, you will see the “Sound Assistant” app on your phone. Open it, scroll down and tap on “Multi sound.”
Enable the toggle next to “All apps” or the two apps you plan to use to play videos simultaneously.
Pro Tip: learn how to improve sound on your Android phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
All screenshots by Mehvish Mushtaq
What is “Flex mode” in Samsung Galaxy Fold phone?
When you put your phone in a folded upright position such that the bottom part acts as the stand, “Flex mode” runs the app in the top part of the screen and shows app control options in the bottom screen. To enable Flex mode for apps, go to “Settings → Advanced features → Labs → Flex mode.”
Can I set a custom aspect ratio for apps on Galaxy Fold’s main screen?
The answer is yes. Go to “Settings -> Advanced features -> Labs -> Customize aspect ratios.” Select the app whose aspect ratio you want to customize and choose the desired aspect ratio.
Is it possible to use both the cover and inner screen on Samsung Galaxy Fold phones at the same time?
You cannot use both the outer and inner screens at the same time. However, you can use the cover screen as a preview screen while using the Camera. Make sure to enable the “Cover screen preview” icon at the top in the Camera app.
Mehvish is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she’s always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She’s been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps.
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