How to return and configure screen splitting on Xiaomi

Multitasking is one of the key things that users choose to use on larger-display smartphones. The split-screen feature, or Split Screen, allows two apps to be used simultaneously, such as texting in a messenger and watching videos, or copying text from the browser into notes. However, owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face a situation where this option suddenly disappears or ceases to activate after a system update.

With MIUI and the new HyperOS, the algorithms for windows could change by developers, leading to confusion in settings. Sometimes the function is simply hidden in the depth of the menu, and other times it requires activation through special developer settings. The absence of a familiar swipe or button can make it very difficult to use the gadget for work on a daily basis.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to force split screens if the standard method doesn’t work. We’ll look at gesture settings, special features, and system restrictions that can block window mode on your device.

Standard ways to activate Split Screen

Before you go into the complex settings, make sure you use the right activation method, because it can be different in different versions of the MIUI shell. Most often, the problem is not the lack of a function, but the way you call it. Try opening the application you plan to use in the first window and swipe up from the bottom of the screen, holding your finger at the middle point.

If you change the interface after that and you have a suggestion to choose a second app, it means that the function is working normally, and in some cases you need to click on the menu icon (three dots or stripes) in the corner of the running application and select "Separate screen" option, which is a classic method that works on most devices without additional manipulation.

• 📱 Swipe up with finger held in the center of the screen from the menu of recent apps.
• 🔘 Use the "Separate Screen" button in the window control menu (three dots).
• ✋ Special gestures if they were configured in the section "Quick commands».
• 🔄 Turning the device into landscape mode, which sometimes automatically activates windows.

⚠️ Note: Not all apps support split screen mode. Android system restrictions may prevent you from running banking apps or some window games, so the feature may not be forced to activate.

It is also worth checking if the function is disabled in the basic system settings. Go to Settings → Additional Functions → Screen Split. Here a switch should be activated to allow multi-window operation. If the slider is turned off, the system will ignore your attempts to launch the second application.

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Try to reboot your smartphone after switching on in the settings – sometimes changes only take effect after a full cycle of turning off and on the device.

Configure through the menu of special features

If standard methods fail, the most effective solution is to activate the feature through the feature menu.This section in Android is designed to make it easier to manage, but often contains hidden window controls that ignore standard interface locks.

To access these settings, open Settings → Advanced Settings → Special Features. In the list of available services, find the "Split Screen" option. Click on it and make sure that the "Use Screen Split" switch is switched to the active position. This action forcibly registers the window service in the system.

Once the service is activated, an additional button or shortcut will often appear in the same menu, which can be displayed on the lock screen or in the control panel, which allows you to start split mode even when normal gestures do not work. In some versions of the firmware, you can also adjust the font size and zoom for window mode, which is critical for small screens.

It is important to understand that activation through special features can consume additional battery power, since the background service constantly monitors the user's actions, but for those who constantly need to work with two windows, this is the only stable solution.

Use of Developer Parameters

When the usual settings are exhausted, the hidden developer settings come to the rescue, which is designed to test applications, but contains a key option Force Activities to be Resizable, which forces the system to run even those applications that do not officially support Split Screen in windows.

To enter this mode, you need to quickly click on the build number seven times in the Settings → About Phone section. Once you have a notification that you have become a developer, return to the main settings menu and go to Additional Settings → For developers. Find the Applications section and activate the Toggle “Forced Change the Action Size”.

Once you turn on this option, you must restart the device. Without rebooting, system services will not apply the new rules for window rendering. Once you turn on your smartphone, try running an application that previously refused to work in a split screen - now it must obey the system commands.

⚠️ Warning: Enabling developer settings may cause some applications to run unstable or change interface behavior.Be prepared to disable these settings if you notice critical errors in the system.

Also in the developer settings, consider Smallest Width, which can help you visually run two apps side by side on low-resolution screens, although this is not a direct inclusion of separation.

Application compatibility issues

Often users are looking for a way to “return” the feature when the problem is actually in a particular application. Software developers can block the ability to work in windows at the level of their code, and no settings on Xiaomi smartphone can not get around this without the use of special modifications.

This is especially true for banking applications, secure corporate messengers and some social networks. Android security marks such applications as incompatible with multitasking mode in order to avoid data leakage through the clipboard or interception of the screen image (screenshot).

If you notice that splitting the screen doesn’t work with just one particular application, it’s likely because of its internal security policy, which means that it’s impossible to “return” the function using standard methods, as this would violate the security protocols of the application itself.

Alternatives: Floating windows and side panel

In modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS, classic split screen is often replaced or supplemented by floating windows, a more flexible tool that allows you to place applications on top of others in the form of small movable widgets. If your goal is just to see content from two sources at once, this method may be even more convenient.

To activate the sidebar (which is often confused with split screen), go to Settings → Special features → Sidebar. Here you can add any apps to your favorites. After that, when using any other application, you can swipe from the edge to call the panel and run the second application in a floating window.

Floating windows allow you to resize them, roll them to the edge of the screen, or pin them over all windows. Unlike a hard 50/50 split, here you control the area occupied by the second app. This is especially convenient on narrow-screen smartphones, where the classic Split Screen makes text unreadable.

• 🪟 The floating window is launched through the swipe sidebar.
• 📏 The window size can be changed with your fingers at any time.
• 📌 The window can be fixed so that it does not close when folding.
• 🔗 Drag and drop text and images between windows.

⚠️ Note: A limited number of floating windows may be opened at the same time (usually up to the opening of the windows). 3-4 Exceeding the limit will force the system to close the oldest window.

Using a sidebar requires less system resources to switch context, since the application doesn’t actually unfold to the full screen, but runs in the background in a reduced form.

Frequent questions and problem-solving

Even after completing all the instructions, there can be specific situations where the system’s behavior seems counterintuitive, most often because the user is looking for a feature in an updated interface where it has been renamed or moved by Xiaomi developers.

For example, in some firmware regions, the feature may be called Multiwindow Mode or integrated into the management of recent applications without a separate settings menu. If you upgraded to HyperOS, the logic of operation could change to a more automated one, where the system decides when it is convenient to split the screen.

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If none of the methods work, try updating all system applications through the My Apps menu – sometimes the bug is hidden in an outdated Security or System Launcher component.

It’s also worth checking for updates to the system itself. Split Screen bugs are often patched with security patches that come in monthly. Ignoring updates can leave you with a feature that’s already patched in the new version of the software.