How to split the screen into 2 parts on Xiaomi Redmi: The Complete Guide

Multitasking on modern smartphones has become a marketing term for millions of users. Redmi and POCO owners often look for ways to simultaneously browse social media feeds and respond to instant messaging messages without switching between apps. Sharing screen, or Split Screen, allows two active windows to be displayed on the same gadget, significantly improving productivity.

The implementation of this capability in the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS has its own features, which depend on the version of Android and the specific model of your device. Not all users know that the standard way through the menu of running applications is not the only option to manage windows. There are hidden settings, hotkeys and even the ability to run the mode through the engineering menu for advanced use cases.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the available methods for activating split screen, look at the compatibility of popular applications and answer frequent questions that arise when setting up the interface. You will learn not only to include the feature, but also to optimize its operation for your needs, turning your Xiaomi into a powerful tool for working with information.

Preparation of the device and compatibility check

Before you start setting up, make sure your device is technically multitasking. Most of the current Xiaomi Redmi models released after 2018 have enough RAM to comfortably split the screen. However, older budget models with 2 or 3 GB of RAM can run in this mode unstable or force the background applications to close.

An important aspect is the operating system version. The feature is supported since Android 7.0 Nougat, but the full-featured MIUI implementation has become available in later versions. If you have a very old firmware installed, the system may simply not have a built-in mechanism for Split View, and you will need an update.

⚠️ On devices with minimal free memory, trying to run two resource-intensive applications at the same time can lead to a strong heating of the case and a sharp drop in performance.

It’s also worth checking if you have an activated power saving mode that often limits the background activity of applications.To properly operate the two windows, the system needs to reserve enough CPU resources, and it’s recommended to close all unnecessary tabs in the browser and heavy games before testing the feature.

Standard method of activation through the application menu

The most common and easy way to split the screen in two on Xiaomi smartphones is to use the standard menu of running applications. This method does not require additional settings and works out of the box on most current firmware. The algorithm of actions is intuitive, but has its own nuances depending on the type of navigation.

If you use classic three-button navigation or MIUI gestures, you need to open the first app you plan to use. Then swipe from the bottom up (or press the menu button) to view all running windows. In this interface, you will see application cards that can be scaled.

• 📱 Find the card of the desired application and click on the icon at the top of the preview (often it is an app icon or three dots).
• 🔲 In the drop-down menu, select "Split screen).
• 📑 After that, the screen will split in half, and at the bottom there will be a list of recently used programs to select the second window.
• ↔️ You can swap apps in places, dragging the dividing line, or close one of the windows, swiping it to the side.

Some users find that when you click on the "Separate Screen" menu icon, there is no "Separate Screen" option, which means that a particular application is not optimized by the developer to work in Multitasking mode. Social networks, browsers and instant messengers usually support this feature, while some games and banking applications may block screen splitting for security reasons or because of interface features.

Using the Floating Windows function as an alternative

The MIUI shell and HyperOS offer a more flexible multitasking tool known as Floating Windows. Unlike rigid splitting of the screen in half, this mode allows you to display applications in the form of small windows that can be moved around the display, resize them and fold into a sidebar.

To activate a floating window, open the app and swipe three fingers from the corner of the screen inwards (if the function is activated in the settings) or use the side menu. The sidebar is called by a swipe from the edge of the screen where it is mounted. This is especially convenient for watching videos on YouTube or Netflix in parallel with correspondence.

Settings → Additional features → Sidebar → Select applications

The main advantage of floating windows over classic split screen is that you can run more than two apps at once. You can have an open browser, a floating messenger and a calculator, switching between them quickly, but it's worth remembering that each new layer consumes additional GPU resources and batteries.

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For quick switching between running floating windows, use the sidebar - it displays thumbnails of all active applications in soaring mode.

Set up hot keys and additional parameters

For those who often use split screen, the standard method through the menu may seem too long. Xiaomi’s system settings provide the ability to activate hotkeys to instantly switch to split screen mode, which greatly speeds up the work and makes the process more convenient.

To enable this feature, go to the settings section for additional features or special features, and here you will find the split-screen option, and once activated, you can start the simple swipe mode with three fingers from the bottom up the screen in any application.

You can also set the behavior of the system when you turn the device in this section, and by default, in split-screen mode, orientation can be blocked, but when you turn on the corresponding switch, the windows will turn in sync with the position of the smartphone, which is useful when watching videos or working with documents in landscape orientation.

Solving problems with incompatible applications

Quite often, users are faced with a situation where the system says, "The application does not support splitting the screen." This is a restriction set by the software developer, and it is impossible to circumvent it with regular means. However, there are methods of forced start-up that can help in some cases.

One way is to use developer mode, and by enabling the option, "Forcibly Determine Activity as Supportive Multi-window," you can force the system to run the application in split screen, even if it's not optimized for it, but beware: the interface may not display correctly, with distortions or biases.

⚠️ Warning: Forced running of incompatible applications can lead to crashes, system freezes or incorrect data retention.

The alternative is to use third-party launchers or specialized apps from Google Play that emulate the tablet environment, which creates a virtual space where apps “think” they’re running on the big screen and are more willing to agree to separation, but this can negatively affect the device’s autonomy.

Features of work in the shell of HyperOS

With the release of the new HyperOS operating system, which gradually replaces MIUI on Xiaomi devices, window management has changed, the interface has become smoother, animations more responsive, and the logic of the work remained the same, but new visual elements and ways of interaction have been added.

HyperOS has improved the sidebar, now supporting more widgets and allowing you to drag and drop content between apps faster, for example, you can drag an image from the gallery directly to the messenger chat without opening it completely, creating a single workspace effect that is typical for tablets.

It’s worth noting that on new models with powerful Snapdragon and Dimensity processors, the system itself suggests splitting the screen if you keep your finger on the app card for a long time in the menu of recent tasks.

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HyperOS optimizes memory allocation between windows, so split-screen work has become more stable on new devices and has less impact on battery power.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)