Android quietly enhances split-screen mode in preparation for the Pixel 9 P

[phillynews215]

• Google recently updated Android to support putting apps into left-right splits.
• This feature supports “portrait foldables,” such as the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
• We discovered code that not only suggests this feature is being tested on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold but also reveals the foldables screen resolution.

Although the small screens of most Android smartphones arent really conducive to multitasking, there are still situations in which you may want to have multiple app windows in view. This is why Google introduced split-screen multitasking in late 2016s Android 7.0 Nougat.

Androids split-screen mode lets you put two apps side-by-side, either in a left-right or top-bottom configuration, depending on the orientation. If your phone is in portrait mode, for example, then Android assumes you can only fit two apps in a top-bottom config. That assumption holds for the vast majority of Android smartphones on the market, but it doesnt work for some foldable phones with a nearly square aspect ratio. Fortunately, Google quietly updated Androids split-screen mode to allow for putting apps in a left-right split even when the device is in portrait mode, most likely in preparation for the launch of its own Pixel 9 Pro Fold.




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