Xiaomi’s modern smartphones have powerful processors and large screens that allow you to perform several tasks in parallel, without switching between windows. The split-screen feature known as Split Screen is becoming an indispensable tool for those who are accustomed to multitasking. You can watch videos while chatting in the messenger or copy text from the browser directly into notes without losing a second for constant transitions.
With MIUI and the new HyperOS, this functionality is implemented in depth, but users often don’t know how to activate it correctly. The standard interface can hide some options, making them available only through certain gestures or settings. Understanding how window mode works opens up new horizons for your gadget, turning it into a full-fledged working tool.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the ways you can run two apps at once, including hidden methods for programs that don’t officially support splitting screens, and learn how to lock windows, resize them, and manage processes for maximum system performance.
The main ways to activate a split screen
The easiest and most common method of running two apps at once on Xiaomi is to use the open source menu. To start, open the first app you want to use, such as a browser or video player. Then swipe from the bottom edge of the screen upwards and hold your finger in the center to open the menu of recent apps.
In the list that opens, find the card of the application that you have launched. Depending on the version of MIUI, a special icon that resembles two rectangles or a dotted line may appear in or directly on the top right of the card, and clicking on this symbol will automatically split the screen in half, prompting you to choose the second application from the list of recently used ones.
If the split icon doesn't appear immediately, try pinching the app card with your finger for a few seconds. The context menu that appears often hides the option "Separate Screen." Once activated, the system will ask you to select a second program, and the screen will be divided horizontally or vertically depending on the orientation of the device.
- 📱 Open the menu of recent apps with swipe from the bottom up.
- 🔲 Find the split icon on the program card.
- ✋ Or press the app card to call the action menu.
- 📲 Select the second app from the list offered.
⚠️ Note: Some applications, especially banking or secure DRM-In such cases, the system will issue a notification that it is impossible to separate the screen for security reasons.
It is worth noting that in new versions of the HyperOS shell, the logic of the work may be slightly different from the classic MIUI. Here, gesture control is more common, where long retention of the lower navigation band can also activate multitasking mode. If standard methods do not work, check the settings in the Settings → Additional Functions → Screen Partition, where you can force support for specific applications.
Using Floating Windows for Maximum Flexibility
An alternative to the classic splitting of the screen into two equal parts is the floating window mode, which allows you to run an application in a small window that can be freely moved around the display and changed in size, which is especially convenient when you need to quickly respond to a message without interrupting the movie or game.
To activate a floating window, open the menu of recent apps, as described earlier. Click on the window control icon (usually three dots or an icon on top of the card) and select the Floating Window mode. The app will fold up into a small rectangle that you can drag your finger around the screen, overlaying on top of other programs.
Managing this window is intuitive: pulling the lower right corner can stretch it half the screen or, conversely, roll it into a narrow strip on the side. Xiaomi also has a feature called Sidebar (or Toolbar), which allows you to quickly get out frequently used applications in the form of floating windows in one click.
How do you turn on the sidebar?
Floating windows consume less system resources when folded, as they can pause, and it’s a great way to keep a calculator, voice recorder, or translator handy while you’re working on basic documents or web pages.
Configure and manage windows in MIUI and HyperOS
Deep customization of the MIUI shell allows you to fine-tune the behavior of window mode. In the split screen settings menu, you can choose which apps will appear in the list of supported and which will not. This is useful if you want to remove redundant programs that do not scale well on the small screen.
To access advanced settings, go to Settings → Additional Features → Screen Partition. This often has an Add Apps switch that allows you to manually enable split-screen support for programs that the developer has not optimized for this. However, be careful: forced activation can lead to incorrect display of the interface.
The important aspect is window size control, so in split-screen mode, there's a dividing strip between two active applications, and if you pull over that, you can prioritize one of the windows by making it bigger, or you can set the ratio 50 to 50, and in landscape mode, the separation is usually vertical, and in portrait mode, horizontal.
Remember that active background processes can affect performance. If you notice slowdowns, try closing unnecessary tabs in the browser or heavy games, leaving only lightweight utilities such as notes or instant messengers in the split screen.
Compatibility issues and forced start
Not all apps are optimized for split-screen operation. You often find that after choosing a second program, the first application just stretches across the screen, ignoring the split command, which is a limitation set by software developers, but there are ways around this prohibition in Android and MIUI.
There's a hidden feature in the developer menu that allows you to force multiple windows on any application, and to get there, you have to click on the build number several times in the About Phone section until you have the message "You've become a developer," and then you have to find the "Force activities to be resizable" item in the developer menu and activate it.
Once this option is turned on and the smartphone is rebooted, the system will try to run even those applications that do not “want” to run in a split screen, but the result can be unpredictable: the interface may move, the buttons become non-clickable, and some content will be cropped.
| Type of application | Split Screen Support | Risks of forced launch | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social media | Complete. | No. | Use it safely |
| Video players | Complete. | Minimum | Perfect for viewing. |
| Banking applications | Locked down. | High (locking) | Not recommended |
| Hard games | Partial | Take-offs, lags | Use with caution |
⚠️ Warning: Forced window resize may cause system instability or accidental closure of applications. Use this feature only if you understand the risks.
If after the development function is turned on, the smartphone starts to behave strangely, just turn off this setting and restart the device. The standard set of supported applications covers 90% of the needs of the average user.
Features of working with video and browser
The most common scenario for using two windows on Xiaomi is watching videos while reading social media feeds or texting. Video players like YouTube or VLC feel great in the top or bottom half of the screen. However, it is worth considering that in some regions or versions of applications, YouTube may block video playback when leaving the application, requiring a Premium subscription.
Split-screen browsers allow you to easily copy information, so you can open an article in one part of the screen and a text editor or messenger in the other, where you want to send excerpts from text, and this eliminates the need to constantly fold and unfold windows.
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When working with text in two windows, use the MIUI clipboard. You can copy several snippets in a row, and they will be saved in the buffer history, available through a long click in the input field.
For video calls, splitting the screen can also be useful, allowing you to search for information in parallel or take notes while you're talking, while the camera will continue to work in the background, transmitting your image to the interlocutor, even if the call window is folded into a narrow strip.
The Effect of Multitasking on Battery and Memory
Running two apps at the same time inevitably increases the load on the processor and RAM of the device. If your Xiaomi smartphone has less than 4 GB of RAM, the system can begin to actively unload background processes, which will lead to restarting applications when switching between them.
Split-screen power consumption also increases, as the display is running continuously, and the processor processes data for two active streams at once. If you use navigation with music or video for a long time, the battery will run out faster than usual.
To optimize your experience, you can use a built-in memory cleaner before you start heavy tasks, and in the battery settings, you can limit background activity for applications that are not critical at the moment, leaving resources for the two main windows.
☑️ Optimization before launching two applications
Modern Xiaomi models with high refresh rate screens (90 Hz, 120 Hz) can consume more power in multitasking mode, since both windows must render smoothly. If autonomy is more important than smoothness, you can temporarily reduce the refresh rate in the screen settings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why isn’t splitting the screen on my Xiaomi?
Can I run three apps at the same time?
How to get out of split screen mode?
Does the split screen work horizontally?
⚠️ Note: When using navigation maps in a split screen, the sound of navigation tips may become quieter or disappear if another application plays media content.
By mastering multi-window skills, you will significantly increase your productivity when using a smartphone. Xiaomi provides all the necessary tools for this, you just need to set them up and use them correctly.