Android 12 may get split-screen ‘app pairs’

App pairs or App Pairs are useful additions to split-screen multitasking. Many smartphone manufacturers already provide this feature with their software shell and Google is likely to adopt this in Android 12.

Split screen app pairs

With the App pairing feature, you can launch two apps at the same time on a split screen. This allows you to use your favorite apps more effectively by multitasking. A split screen on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra looks like this:

You can then label this pair (Telegram and Chrome) as an app pair. Samsung will then automatically place this app pair in the Edge window so that you can easily open them at the same time.

In Android 11 you can also work with two apps at the same time, but the app pairs are not present. According to 9to5Google, this will change with the arrival of Android 12. Google is said to be working on a “complete overhaul of the split screen system in Android 12 with a new feature called App Pairs.” Android 11 locks one app on the screen and then launches another; in Android 12, App Pairs links two apps to use as one task. So this would mean that you can choose two of your recently opened apps to make a pair of them. It could look like this:

The App Pairs in Android 12 would also contain a divider that you can adjust. Double-tapping this line allows you to switch apps quickly.

When is Android 12 coming?

Perhaps you can quickly glimpse what Android 12 has in store for us. Last year, the first Android 11 Developer Preview was released in mid-February. If this rumor is true, we can see App Pairs in action in just a few weeks. What do you think of the app pairs? Are you using them yet? Let us know in the comments.