For years, Samsung and Apple have borrowed features from each other, often with each new generation of devices or software updates. However, not every feature makes the jump between ecosystems. One standout feature Samsung pioneered over a decade ago has still never arrived on the iPhone — and with phone screens getting larger every year, it is surprising Apple hasn’t adopted it sooner.
Split-Screen on Android: A Game Changer for Multitasking
The split-screen feature is easy to use and incredibly useful in a wide range of everyday situations. Since Android 7.0 Nougat launched in 2016, Android devices have been able to run two apps simultaneously on the same screen. While not every app supports this feature, the vast majority of popular ones do.
However, Samsung actually beat the platform to this feature by four years. The company introduced split-screen multitasking back in 2012 on the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note II — long before it became a standard Android feature.
How to Use Split-Screen on Samsung Devices
Using split-screen on a modern Samsung phone is straightforward. Open the app switcher, tap the icon of one of the apps you want in split view, and select “Open in split screen view” from the menu. The selected app moves to the top of the screen, and you will be shown your other open apps and installed apps to choose from. The app you select will fill the bottom half of the screen.
If you want to switch their positions, simply tap the divider in the center and swap them. You can also drag that divider to give one app more space than the other. An even quicker way to enter split-screen is by tapping and holding one of the app icons in the app switcher, then dragging it to the top or bottom of the screen.
In split-screen mode, tapping the bar at the top of each app opens a menu with additional options. The nine-dot icon lets you swap the app with another. The box-in-a-box icon puts the app into pop-up view. The arrows expand the app to full screen, and the “X” closes the app entirely.
Real-World Uses for Split-Screen Multitasking
This feature has been especially helpful for multitasking on Android devices. While switching between apps is easy, having them in split view is far more efficient. For example, instead of constantly switching back and forth, you can keep a webpage open on the top half of your screen and Google Docs on the bottom to take notes for an assignment. It is also useful in more nuanced situations, like having ChatGPT open on the bottom while your messages are on top, helping you refine responses during important conversations.
While not all apps look great in split-screen — Apple Music with the Now Playing screen open, for instance — most work well. It becomes especially valuable when you need to handle multiple tasks quickly that rely on different apps simultaneously.
Split-Screen Remains Exclusive to Android Phones
Typically, when one company introduces a successful new feature, competitors follow soon after. That has not been the case with split-screen on the iPhone.
Split-screen support became a systemwide feature in Android 7.0 Nougat, but as mentioned, Samsung had already offered it years earlier with the Galaxy Note II in 2012, followed by the Galaxy S3. More than a decade later, Apple still has not brought a comparable feature to the iPhone.
Many expected the feature to arrive with the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, which at the time was Apple’s largest iPhone with a 5.5-inch display. However, it never became a reality. Since then, iPhones have only grown in size — from the 5.8-inch iPhone X to the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max, the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, and now the 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max.
To be fair, the iPad, which had a 9.7-inch display at the time, did not get a proper multitasking experience until iOS 9 in 2015, five years after the original iPad was introduced. Yet even though Apple has fine-tuned multitasking on the iPad over the years, it has never made its way to larger iPhones.
What Apple Offers Instead
The closest the iPhone has come to multitasking is through actions that happen in the foreground. This includes replying to a text from a notification banner, controlling music through the Dynamic Island, or using Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode for video. Apple also allows you to quickly switch between recently used apps by swiping along the bottom of the screen. However, this can become overwhelming, especially when the app you expect to open is not the one you need. While these features are helpful, they do not offer the same level of convenience as true split-screen multitasking.
Split-Screen View May Finally Be Coming to iPhone
While Apple has still not adopted the feature on the iPhone, there are persistent rumors it could arrive sooner rather than later. Speculation suggests split-screen could debut with iOS 27 and the rumored iPhone Fold, which may be announced later this year.
Like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series, the iPhone Fold is expected to have a front display and unfold into a larger screen, reportedly around 7.7 inches — slightly smaller than the iPad mini. With that larger display, Apple could finally introduce a supported side-by-side app experience on iPhone for the first time.
However, these remain unconfirmed rumors. Still, it would mark the arrival of a feature that Android — and especially Samsung — devices have supported for well over a decade. If it does arrive, it may be limited to what is expected to be the lineup’s most expensive iPhone, potentially priced above $2,000.
Not the Only Missing Feature, But a Significant One
There are several other features that Samsung devices offer that iPhones still do not. One is Flex Magic Pixel (also called privacy display), which blacks out sensitive information — or even the entire display — when viewed from certain angles, similar to a physical privacy screen protector.
Yet split-screen view remains one of the most notable omissions, especially given how long it has existed. It is genuinely surprising that Apple has never brought the feature to the iPhone in any meaningful form. With rumors of an iPhone Fold on the horizon, it is exciting to see the feature potentially coming to an iPhone model. However, it would be disappointing if it is reserved only for the highest-end, most expensive model in the lineup.
For now, if you want the best multitasking experience on a phone, Samsung and Android remain the clear choice. Split-screen has been a staple for over a decade, and it shows no signs of going away — even if Apple is taking its sweet time to catch up.
