Multitasking is not just a buzzword, it’s a real productivity tool that turns your smartphone into a handheld computer. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often wonder how to effectively use the space of a large display to chat in the messenger and watch videos at the same time or copy text from one document to another. The standard MIUI interface and the new HyperOS provide powerful tools for splitting the screen, but they are not always obvious to beginners.
Modern smartphones have enough performance to handle two running applications simultaneously without delay. However, to activate this mode, it is not enough to just run programs. You need to know a few secret combinations or hidden settings that activate Split Screen. In this article, we will discuss in detail all known activation methods, from standard gestures to advanced methods through the engineering menu.
Some users mistakenly believe that this feature is only available on flagship models, but this is not the case. Virtually any Android device from the Chinese manufacturer supports split screen, unless the firmware version is stripped down. We will look at the nuances of working on different versions of the shells and help to circumvent the typical limitations that users face when trying to run two applications at once.
The standard way to activate through the menu of recent applications
The most common and secure method, which works on 95 percent of the company's devices, is hidden in the menu of running apps, so you don't have to install third-party software or get super-user rights, you just swipe a few simple screens around the screen to split it into two independent areas, and it works in a stable way and doesn't require deep immersion into system files.
To start, open the first app, which should remain at the top of the screen. Then roll it up or go to the main screen. Now swipe from the bottom up (or click the menu button if you have classic navigation) to open a list of recent apps. Find the card of the running program. Depending on the version of MIUI, you either need to click on the icon above the card or swipe down the app card itself.
If the function is available for the selected program, you will see additional control buttons appearing, among them an icon that resembles two rectangles or a button that says "Share up" and clicking on it, you will lock the first application at the top of the display, and then the system will prompt you to select the second application from the list of compatible or run any other from the menu.
- 📱 Click on the icon above the app window in the recent task menu.
- 📉 Make a long swipe down the card of the running program.
- 🔲 Select the "Share up" icon in the menu that appears.
- 🔄 Run the second application to fill the bottom area.
⚠️ Note: If you don’t see the split screen icon, it could mean that the app isn’t optimized to work in this mode or the feature is locked in the current firmware version.
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For quick switching between split windows, you can drag and drop the central dividing line, changing the proportions of the content display.
Use of side panel and floating windows
An alternative to classic screen splitting is the use of a sidebar, which allows you to run applications as floating windows on top of the main content. This method is especially convenient when you need to quickly respond to a message without interrupting your movie or browser. Unlike static 50 by 50 separation, here you get full control over the size and position of the second window.
To activate this feature, you must first turn on the sidebar in the system settings. Go to Settings → Additional Features → Sidebar (the path may vary slightly in different versions of HyperOS). Make sure the switch is activated, and select the applications that will appear in the Quick Access list. After setting up on the side of the screen, a semi-transparent bar will appear.
If you swipe the bar from the edge, you'll see a list of favorite apps. If you drag the app icon to the center of the screen, it'll open in full screen mode. However, if you drag the icon to the top or bottom, or just tap it when the main application is open, it will open in a floating window. This window can be moved, resized and even closed without affecting the main task.
Importantly, floating windows consume more RAM than static separation. If your smartphone has only 4GB of RAM, the system can automatically close background processes when using heavy applications in floating mode. For maximum stability, it is recommended to close unused tabs in the browser before starting multitasking mode.
Configure hidden parameters through Special Features
In some cases, standard methods don’t work because app developers label their products as incompatible with split screens. However, Xiaomi has a special utility hidden in the bowels of the system that allows you to force this feature to be activated for any program, this method requires caution, as it affects the system settings of the display.
To access the advanced settings, you'll need the "Special features" app, which is often pre-installed in the Tools folder. If it's not available, you can download the official Activity Launcher utility from the Play Market store, which allows you to run hidden system activities, and we're interested in the section related to window management and interface size.
Inside the feature menu, find the option for Force Resize Activities or similar. By activating this switch, you tell the system to ignore the incompatibility flag that is in the application manifest, and then even Instagram or Telegram (in some versions) can work in split screen mode.
Settings → Special features → Force resize activities → EnableKeep in mind that forced mode activation can lead to incorrect display of the interface: buttons can go off the screen and text becomes unreadable, this is because the layout of the application is not designed to work in a narrow horizontal or vertical space.
- 🔧 Open the “Special Features” application or activity launcher.
- 📱 Find the Windows Control or Force Resize section.
- ✅ Activate the switch for forced scaling.
- 🔄 Restart the device to apply changes.
Compatibility table for different versions of MIUI
Users are often confused about shell versions because the functionality can be drastically different. Below is a table that will help you navigate the available multitasking capabilities depending on the version of the system installed, which will help you understand whether you should expect certain features to appear after the update.
| Shell version | Screen splitting | Floating windows | Sidebar. | Compulsory regime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI 12 / 12.5 | Basic | Limited. | There is. | Through ADB |
| MIUI 13 | Improved. | Expanded. | There is. | In the settings |
| MIUI 14 | Complete. | Complete. | There is. | Built-in |
| HyperOS 1.0 | Optimized. | Integrated | There is. | Automatically. |
As you can see from the table, with each new firmware version, Xiaomi improves memory algorithms to keep heavier applications open. On older versions of MIUI, the system could aggressively unload a second window from memory if it did not switch to it for more than 5 minutes. In HyperOS, this threshold is greatly increased.
Why don’t older phones have split screens?
Solving Application Incompatibility Problems
Often users are faced with a situation where one application opens and the second refuses to run in split mode, giving a message about incompatibility, a common problem with video players, banking applications and some games, developers block this feature for security reasons or because of the features of the interface.
There is a life hack that allows you to bypass locking for most applications, you need to run an application that accurately supports splitting the screen (for example, a browser or a gallery), activate the mode, and then try to run a "problematic" application in the second part of the screen, sometimes the system "cheats" and launches it, ignoring internal restrictions.
Another method is to use developer mode. Turn on USB debugging and find Force activities to be resizable. This is a global setting that makes the system consider all applications compatible with changing the window size. Be careful: turning on this option can lead to unstable operation of some programs.
⚠️ Warning: Forcing a split-screen banking application to run may cause a lockdown by the bank’s security service due to suspected screenshots or operating in an unsafe environment.
If none of these methods worked, you can use third-party launcher utilities to take over the windows, but this will require extensive permissions, which is not always secure from a data privacy perspective.
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The global setting in the developer menu, Force activities to be resizable, is the most powerful tool to circumvent limitations, but requires a system reboot.
Optimizing performance when working with two windows
Running two full-fledged apps simultaneously doubles the workload on the processor and, more critically, on RAM. If you notice that your smartphone is slowing down, heating up or running out quickly, you should do some optimization, especially for users of the budget models of the Redmi Note series or POCO M.
Close all background processes that are not in use right now. The cleaner the RAM before starting the split mode, the more stable the system will work. It is also recommended to reduce the screen refresh rate to 60 Hz if you are using 120 Hz mode, since rendering two windows requires significant resources of the graphics accelerator.
Watch the temperature of the case. With prolonged multitasking (e.g., navigator + music + messenger), the processor can throttling, which will lead to lags, in such cases, it is better to use one full-screen application or periodically give the device rest.
- 🧹 Clean your memory before starting heavy tasks.
- 📉 Reduce the screen frequency when operating from the battery.
- 🌡️ Watch for heating of the body during navigation.
- 🚫 Avoid running games in split screen.