Inside iOS 10: Split-screen view in Safari for iPad boosts productivity

Posted:
in iPad edited June 2016
Apple's forthcoming iOS 10 update will improve multitasking on the iPad by offering a new split-screen mode in Safari, allowing users to have two tabs open side-by-side simultaneously.




In the first beta of iOS 10, iPad owners can view two websites at once by simply pressing the "plus" button in the upper right corner to open a new tab.

When a second tab is opened and displayed just below the navigation bar, users can tap, hold and drag the title of the tab, anywhere to the right of the 'X' to close the tab.

Once dragging the tab, move your finger to the right or left edge of the iPad display. The main Safari browser will shrink slightly, exposing a small gray border around the app, and a larger space where the dragged tab is being held.

Now, just drop the tab in this space, and Safari will automatically display both tabs in a new split-screen mode, dubbed "Split-View."




When using Safari in split-screen mode, iOS essentially treats it as having two Safari browsers open simultaneously, each with their own links to bookmarks, entering a URL and creating new tabs. And each half of the screen can also have their own array of tabs open.

Apple also allows users to drag tabs from one half of the screen's browser to the other, sorting them as they like.




Safari's split-screen view can also be used with Slide Over in iOS 10, allowing quick, temporary access to another app while browsing two websites.

To return to a single browser, simply close all of the tabs on either side of the screen, and iOS 10 will automatically return Safari to its traditional layout.

iOS 10 does not support having more than two browser views open at once. And while Slide Over is accessible, you cannot use multi-app split-screen multitasking with two browsers also open in iOS 10 -- even with a larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Entering multi-app split screen mode simply defaults to the leftmost browser window, and removing the secondary app restores Safari to its own split-screen multi-browser mode.

You also cannot resize the proportion of the screen that each of the two Safari browsers take up. By default, in the first beta of iOS 10, the Safari browsers are split down the middle.

iOS 10 is currently available in beta for developer testing. A public beta will launch in July, ahead of the software's finalization and free release this fall. For more, see AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 10 series.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    I've had a browser called appropriately, "Twin Browser" for a number of years, that has done pretty much the same thing. With the 9.7" ipad, it was difficult to use because everything was so much smaller, but it works well enough on my iPad Pro 12.9" model. Funny thing though, I don't use it much. I wonder how often this feature in safari will be used.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    dacloodacloo Posts: 890member
    Now split screen is possible, what is lacking is a way to drag/drop items between apps and app instances. 
    tyler82
  • Reply 3 of 12
    bigdobigdo Posts: 19member
    Great. It's a start, but why is this feature only available for Safari? I would like to see this expand to other apps to be able to open more than one document and view 2 side by side. I think Pages should be next.
  • Reply 4 of 12
    matt_smatt_s Posts: 300member
    This isn't as nice as it may seem. Limited screen real estate on a tiny pad, so hey -> let's cut everything viewed in half. Now it's even tinier! Just makes sense huh...

    I hope it's not as frustrating as Microsoft's stupid split screen in Edge, man, that really sucks.

    Apple will probably hide all the necessary controls anyway.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    why-why- Posts: 305member
    matt_s said:

    I hope it's not as frustrating as Microsoft's stupid split screen in Edge, man, that really sucks.
    not sure what you mean. it's working fine for me
  • Reply 6 of 12
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    So far, I haven't been able to get Safari to open two Windows. From what I'm reading, this may work only if you have one tab open to begin with, or so it seems. Following the instructions does nothing with the eight tabs I already have open.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    melgross said:
    So far, I haven't been able to get Safari to open two Windows. From what I'm reading, this may work only if you have one tab open to begin with, or so it seems. Following the instructions does nothing with the eight tabs I already have open.
    On my iPad Air 2, in landscape I just long press on a link in a window and it comes up with an open in split view option to get split view rolling.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    I got this up by accident the other day, and I didn't know about this new feature, and I was thinking what the hell is going on.

    And I couldn't get rid of it either at first.

    But after a quick search, I figured out how to both activate and disable the split browsers, and that solved the problem.

    And it works with multiple tabs open also.

    All you have to do is take a tab and drag it all the way to the right to enable split mode.

    And to disable, just take the tab of the right split screen that you wish to close and drag and drop it over on the left screen tabs, and you're back to single screen mode.
    edited September 2016
  • Reply 9 of 12
    melgross said:
    So far, I haven't been able to get Safari to open two Windows. From what I'm reading, this may work only if you have one tab open to begin with, or so it seems. Following the instructions does nothing with the eight tabs I already have open.
    Has to be in landscape to work.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    One important point unmentioned here is that it does not require only iOS 10. My iPad Air is running iOS 10 and does not support this feature. I expect that at least an iPad Air 2 + iOS 10 is required. Shame.
    ajl
  • Reply 11 of 12
    ajl said:
    This thing don't work with my iPad mini 2. Maybe I'm doing something wrong or maybe my iPad doesn't support that. Can anyone help me, please?
    One important point unmentioned here is that it does not require only iOS 10. My iPad Air is running iOS 10 and does not support this feature. I expect that at least an iPad Air 2 + iOS 10 is required. Shame.

    Multitasking compatibility

    Multitasking, especially multi-window, requires significant resources, namely memory and processor power. That means not every iPad can take advantage of every type of multitasking.

    • Gesture navigation: iPad 2 and later.
    • Slide over: iPad Air, iPad mini 2, and later.
    • Split view: iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad Pro and later.
    • Picture-in-picture: iPad Air, iPad mini 2, and later.
    Deelron
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