Multitasking is one of the key features of modern smartphones, allowing users to significantly improve productivity. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often wonder how to effectively use high-resolution display to work with multiple applications at the same time. The ability to run a navigator and messenger or video hosting and text editor side by side is not just a convenience, but a necessity for many users.
MIUI and the new HyperOS have a powerful tool called Split Screen, which allows you to split the display into two independent areas, each running a different application. Although the shell interface is constantly changing, the basic principle of operation remains similar, but there are important nuances that need to be considered when activating.
In this article, we’ll take a look at all the ways to activate split screen, from standard gestures to hidden settings for apps that don’t officially support this mode. You’ll learn how to properly adjust window size, avoid common bugs, and use special widgets to work even more efficiently.
The main ways to activate screen splitting
There are several proven methods to run split-screen mode on Xiaomi smartphones. The choice of the specific method often depends on the version of the installed firmware (MIUI 12, 13, 14 or HyperOS) and the personal preferences of the user. The most versatile and quick method is to use the menu of recent applications.
To activate through the task menu, you need to run the first application you plan to use. After that, swipe from the bottom up (or click the corresponding navigation button), go to the Recents screen. Find the icon or name of the desired application in the list of tasks you have launched.
- 📱 Press and hold your finger on the preview of the app until the context menu appears.
- 🔲 Select an icon resembling two rectangles located in the corner of the application card.
- 📑 Select the second app from the list of recently used ones or find it in the general list.
- ↔️ If necessary, drag the dividing line to change the proportions of the windows.
The second involves using the system control panel, which appears when swiping from the corner of the screen (if gesture control is enabled) or through the menu button. In some versions of MIUI, a special icon "two windows" can be displayed in the preview corner of the application, clicking on which immediately activates the selection mode of the second program.
⚠️ Note: Some applications, especially banking clients and secure video services (such as Netflix or online cinemas), may block split-screen work for security reasons or due to restrictions. DRM-defense.
Configure and manage windows in MIUI and HyperOS
Once you’ve successfully split the screen in two, you’ll have a wide range of options to customize your content. Xiaomi’s interface allows you to flexibly manage space, giving more space to one app at the expense of another, which is especially true on screens with a 6.67 inch diagonal and above.
The central control is a dividing strip between two active windows, and by tapping on it, you can quickly change the aspect ratio. Standard proportions are usually 50 to 50, but the system offers options for offsetting, for example, 30 to 70 or 70 to 30, which allows you to make one of the windows the main one and use the second as a reference.
In addition to resizing, the separation control panel offers additional features available through a hidden menu or long press on the divider:
- 🔄 Exchange button: allows you to instantly swap applications places without closing them.
- ❌ Closing one window: allows you to fold or close one of the applications, leaving the second on the full screen.
- 📐 Preserving proportions: In some versions of HyperOS, fixing the ratio of windows when turning the device is available.
It's important to note that in landscape mode (horizontal orientation), screen splitting works differently: apps are side by side, not on top of each other. This is ideal for watching video in combination with correspondence. However, not all applications are correctly displayed in horizontal separation mode, which can lead to stretching of the interface or the appearance of black fields.
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Use the Floating Windows feature in combination with split screen to run a third app over the two main windows if your smartphone model supports multi-window.
Special features and widgets for separation
Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers not only basic screen splitting, but also more advanced tools for organizing the workspace, such as the Sidebar, which greatly speeds up access to frequently used applications in multitasking mode.
To activate the sidebar, go to Settings → Additional Features → Sidebar. Here you can add apps you want to always have on hand. Once activated, a swipe from the edge of the screen will show a floating menu with selected programs in any application.
The advantage of the sidebar is that it can instantly launch the application in split-screen mode. Just drag the icon from the sidebar to the free area of the display, and the system automatically creates a second window. This works faster than a standard switch through the task menu.
| Function | Description | Where to find out. |
|---|---|---|
| Screen splitting | Two apps on the same screen | Menu of recent challenges |
| Floating window | Appendix on top of others | Sidebar / Angle preview |
| Sidebar. | Quick access to tools | Settings → Additional functions |
| Full screen mode | Disconnecting separation | Separation control centre |
Another interesting feature is the ability to drag and drop content between windows, such as copying text from a browser in one window and pasting it into notes in another window, or drag and drop an image from a gallery directly into a messenger chat, a feature that requires support from both apps.
☑️ Checking the readiness for splitting the screen
Forced Incorporation for Unsupported Applications
Often users are faced with a situation where the favorite app does not want to open in split-screen mode, giving a message about incompatibility, this restriction is sewn by software developers, but owners of Xiaomi smartphones can bypass it through the hidden settings of the developer.
To access these settings, you must first activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI Version or OS Version. Once you have become a developer, return to the main settings menu.
Find the section Additional → For developers. In the list of options, scroll down to the "Applications" block and find the item "Force activities to be resizable." Activate this switch.
Path to setup:
Settings → Additional → For Developers →
Annexes → Forced to determine the possibility of size changeOnce this feature is enabled, restart your smartphone. Now the system will ignore the application compatibility flags and try to run them in split mode anyway. However, be prepared for the fact that the interface of some programs may not display correctly, with clipped buttons or a misaligned layout.
⚠️ Note: Enabling developer features may affect the stability of some system applications. If you notice a crash, return your default settings or disable a specific item.
What if after switching on the setting, the phone started to work slowly?
Solution and troubleshooting
Despite the system’s fine-tuning, users may face various problems when using split-screen, the most common being the spontaneous closure of one application or the inability to start a second window, often due to a lack of RAM.
Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells aggressively control background processes to save battery life. If the system thinks that running in the background an application consumes too much resources, it can kill it. To prevent this, lock important applications into memory.
To lock the application, open the recent task menu, press and hold the program preview (or pull the card down, depending on the firmware version), and select the lock icon. This will prevent the system from closing the application automatically.
- 🔋 Check the Power Saving Mode: In Energy Saving Mode, Multitasking Can Be Limited.
- 🧹 Clear RAM before launching heavy games or apps.
- 📱 Make sure both apps are updated to the latest versions via Google Play or GetApps.
Also worth mentioning is the problem with the keyboard display: In split-screen mode, the keyboard can overlap one of the windows, making it impossible to type, in which case try changing the proportions of the windows by making the input field larger, or temporarily deploy the application to the full screen to type.
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The stability of split-screen operation depends on the amount of free RAM available. On models with 4 GB of RAM and less try not to keep more than two heavy applications open at the same time.
Alternatives: Floating windows and the second
If classic splitting doesn’t work for you, Xiaomi offers alternative multitasking scenarios: Floating Windows allows you to run an app as a small movable frame on top of the main interface, ideal for video calls or streaming.
To start a floating window, use the sidebar or menu of recent apps (usually click on the name of the application at the top of the card). The floating window can be moved around the screen, resize it, or fold into the sidebar without closing the program.
An even more radical solution is Second Space, which creates a completely isolated environment on your smartphone, as if you had two different phones, and you can switch between the main and second spaces by running your own sets of apps in each.
While Second Space does not share the screen visually, it allows you to keep heavy processes (such as navigation or file downloads) running in the background profile without loading the main desktop.Switching between spaces occurs through a special shortcut in the notification curtain or fingerprint.