Google to improve split-screen apps on mobile, but likely not before Android 14
Google will finally be updating the App Pairs feature for the native version of Android 14, giving users a way to save certain split-screen apps on their phone.
For those who need a refresher, App Pair is a multitasking tool allowing Android owners to open two apps, place them side-by-side, and interact with them at the same time. The annoying thing was you couldnât save them on Pixel hardware, so you had to redo the pairing every time you closed them. That is, until this latest leak, which was discovered by freelance tech journalist Mishaal Rahman who shared his findings on Twitter.Â
He came across a âlauncher flagâ digging through the files of the second Android 14 beta âthat, when enabled, surfacesâ a new âSave app pairâ option âin the context menu of split-screened appsâ. Rahman states the selection doesnât work at the moment, but he does expect it to work as intended later down the line. Thereâs no indication in his findings whether or not the feature will be available with the launch of Android 14, however.
Now you may be asking: âdoesnât this already exist on Android?â Yes, it does. The problem was split-screen saving was never available on the base version of Android OS nor on Pixel. It’s something usually added by third parties to their respective tech. Samsung, for example, gave users the ability to save app pairings from the get-go when it introduced its own rendition of App Pairs to Galaxy phones back in 2017. Pixel devices, for whatever reason, have lagged behind. Â
Improved multi-tasking
Staying on this thread of Google playing catch up, industry leaker Nail Sadykov discovered another new multitasking feature in the latest Android 14 beta. This time, the operating system will allow you to âuse system navigationâ while dragging and dropping items. So, youâll be able to grab a photo from one app, âopen another, [then] drop it thereâ without much hassle. It also works with text. Highlighting a string of words lets you move them to somewhere else, effectively eliminating the need for copying and pasting.
Just like Rahmanâs findings, the improved drag and drop tool does exist on other smartphones from iOS to Oppo hardware. It’s just that Google has been a little slow on the uptake. Hopefully, these quality-of-life updates will appear on the Pixel 8. While theyâre not the most game-changing additions, the small stuff does add up, and it can turn an okay device into something special.Â
Speaking of the Pixel 8, a recent leak for the Pro model reveals it may be getting a thermometer of all things. Itâll be next to the camera lenses on the rear. We’re not sure what Google intends to do by adding a thermometer to Pixel, which seems a pretty random inclusion.
Once youâre done catching up on our coverage of Google’s next flagship, be sure to check out TechRadarâs list of the best Pixel handsets for 2023 if youâre looking to upgrade.Â