Android Tablet Multitasking Tips and Tricks for 2026

A tablet’s bigger screen pays off when you use more than one app at a time. Android tablets offer split screen for two apps side by side, and Samsung adds floating pop-up windows, app pairs, a taskbar and Edge panels. The steps below follow Samsung’s and Google’s own support pages; menus can differ slightly by model and software version, and not every app supports split screen.

Split Screen on a Samsung Galaxy Tablet

Samsung gives you several ways to open two apps side by side, according to its support pages:

From Recents: tap Recents in the navigation bar (or swipe up and hold if you use gestures), tap the app’s icon (not the preview itself), then tap Open in split screen view. Choose the second app from Recents or the Apps screen.
From the Taskbar: while an app is open, drag an icon from the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen to the top, bottom, left or right of the screen. Dropping it in the center opens a pop-up window instead.
From the Edge panel: swipe left on the gray Edge panel handle on the right side of the screen, tap the All apps grid, and drag an app to the side of the screen for split screen or to the center for a pop-up.
With a swipe gesture (One UI 6 and later): open Settings > Advanced features > Multi window and turn on Swipe for split screen. A two-finger swipe up from the bottom of the screen then moves the current app into split screen.

Drag the divider between the apps to change their sizes. To close one app, tap the bar at the top of its window and then tap the X.

Pop-Up View: Floating Windows on Samsung

Pop-up view opens an app in a window over whatever you are doing, which suits a calculator, chat or video you want to keep in view. Tap Recents, tap the app’s icon and choose Open in pop-up view, or drag the app to the center of the screen from the Taskbar or Edge panel. Samsung’s Swipe for pop-up view setting, in the same Multi window menu, lets you swipe in with one finger from either top corner to turn the current app into a pop-up.

Resize a pop-up by dragging its sides. Samsung lists four controls at the top of each window: Opacity makes the window see-through, Floating icon shrinks it to an icon you can tap later, Expand window returns it to full screen and Close app closes the window while leaving the app in Recents. You can also drag a pop-up to the side of the screen to hide it, then tap it to bring it back.

Save App Pairs on Samsung

If you open the same two apps together often, save them as an app pair. With both apps in split screen, tap the dotted divider in the middle, tap the star icon (Add to app pair) and choose where to put the pair: the Taskbar, the Home screen or the Apps Edge panel. Tapping the saved pair opens both apps at once, already split.

The Samsung Taskbar

The Taskbar appears at the bottom of the screen while you are using an app, much like the dock on a computer. Samsung says it is on by default on tablets such as the Tab S10, Tab S11 and Tab A11+; you can turn it on or off in Settings > Display > Taskbar. On Galaxy tablets it holds up to four app slots, and the apps in your Home screen’s favorites bar appear on it automatically, so change the favorites bar to change the Taskbar. Samsung notes that the option to show recent apps on the Taskbar is not available on its tablets.

One caution: Samsung has disabled the Taskbar when a third-party launcher is set as the default, as our custom launchers guide explains, so keep One UI Home if you rely on it.

Edge Panels

Edge panels are slide-out drawers of apps and tools. Swipe left on the gray handle on the right edge of the screen to open one, then tap the gear icon to choose which panels appear; Samsung allows up to ten. If the handle is missing, check Settings > Display > Edge panels. The Apps panel is the place to keep saved app pairs if your Taskbar is full.

Split Screen on a Pixel Tablet

Google’s Pixel Tablet, which Google still supports with updates until June 2028, uses Android’s standard split screen. Google notes that some steps require Android 15 or later:

From Overview: swipe up slowly from the bottom and release when your recent app appears (or tap Overview with 3-button navigation), tap the app’s icon, tap Split, then tap the second app.
From the Taskbar: with an app open, swipe up slowly until the Taskbar appears, then drag an app icon to either side of the screen.
From the Home screen: touch and hold an app icon, tap Split, then tap the second app.

Drag the middle of the divider to resize the apps, and double-tap it to swap their positions. To save an app pair, swipe up and hold to open Overview while both apps are open, then tap Save app pair below them; the pair appears on your Home screen and can be added to the Taskbar. To leave split screen, go Home, or drag the divider all the way to one side to close one app.

OnePlus Open Canvas

OnePlus’s tablets use their own system, Open Canvas. OnePlus says the Pad 3 can show up to three apps on screen, and reviewers singled out its multitasking: Tom’s Guide called it the best multitasking experience on any tablet, as covered in our OnePlus Pad 3 review.

Going Further with Samsung DeX

For window-style multitasking, Samsung’s DeX mode runs apps in resizable windows with minimize, maximize and close buttons, and windows can be snapped to the left or right, as GSMArena describes on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra; you can switch to DeX from the Quick settings panel. Reviewers differ on how far it goes. TechRadar ran three split-screen apps with five pop-up windows on top on the Tab S11 Ultra, while Tom’s Guide found the full taskbar appears only on an external monitor. Our Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review summarizes both views, and the productivity setup guide covers keyboards, mice and monitors.

Use Gestures to Switch Faster

Gesture navigation frees the space taken by the button bar, which helps in split screen. According to Google, with gestures you swipe up from the bottom to go Home, swipe up, hold and release to see recent apps, swipe left to right along the very bottom of the screen to switch apps, and swipe in from the left or right edge to go back.

To turn gestures on, Google’s Android Help lists Settings > System > Navigation mode on a Pixel, or Settings > System > Gestures > Navigation mode on other devices. Samsung uses Settings > Display > Navigation bar > Swipe gestures, and notes that buttons are the default on Galaxy devices. Samsung also offers a setting to block gestures made with the S Pen, which helps avoid accidental swipes while drawing.

Tips That Make Multitasking Easier

Use pop-ups for quick tasks such as a calculator, timer or chat, and split screen for work you look at side by side.
Save app pairs for routines you repeat daily, such as a browser with notes for research.
Check app support: if an app refuses to split, it may not support split screen; Samsung notes that not all apps do.
Give it room: split screen is more comfortable on larger screens; our best Android tablets of 2026 lists screen sizes, and students can find study setups in the college student guide.

Sources

Samsung US — Use Multi window and App pairs on your Galaxy phone or tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Multitask on your Galaxy tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Use the Taskbar on your Galaxy tablet or Z Fold model phone — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Add or remove Edge panels on your Galaxy phone or tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Customize the Navigation bar on your Galaxy phone or tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Pixel Tablet Help — Use split screen on your Pixel Tablet — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Pixel Tablet Help — Learn when you’ll get software updates — accessed November 1, 2026
Google Android Help — Android navigation — accessed November 1, 2026
OnePlus US — OnePlus Pad 3 — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Software, performance — accessed November 1, 2026
TechRadar — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review — accessed November 1, 2026
Tom’s Guide — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review — accessed November 1, 2026