According to the Android 16 release schedule, we should see its first beta towards the end of January. The two developer previews arrived in November and December, so it’s time to move on to a new phase. It may seem too early, but it’s a fact Google plans to update Android earlier than usual.
However, although we are still waiting for an official update, the news on Android 16 doesn’t stop. The proof? A new discovery hidden in the DP2 code of Android 16 that warns of the possible arrival of a highly requested feature: an improvement in multitasking Android 16 which will allow you to divide the screen into three bands.
Multitasking on Android 16 will be better: you will be able to have up to three apps on the screen at the same time
Thanks to the team at Android Authority and the Authority Insights section, we now know that Google is working to improve Android’s multitasking system. The Developer Preview 2 Android 16 hides a function in its code that will allow you to divide the screen into threeimproving user productivity. What is his name? For now “Flexible screen”.
This system would be similar to Open Canvasa feature present in the tablet and foldable version of OxygenOS, OnePlus’s customization layer. A characteristic that, among other things, is considered one of the best implementations of multitasking on Android. It first arrived on OnePlus Open and then migrated to OnePlus Pad, OnePlus Pad 2 and OnePlus Pad Pro.
The split screen hidden in Android 16’s DP2 code is still in a fairly early stage of development, as it doesn’t fully work yet. Indeed, Once enabled, you can only drag and drop two applications to the split screen system. When trying to drag the third there was no way to integrate him to others, but it allowed you to see a preview of the different divisions of the screen.
In the case of Open Canvas, the triple screen split works like this: 45% for one app, 45% for another and the remaining 10% for the third. The latest app doesn’t have enough space to be used, but it is handy to open quickly and replace another of the main apps on the screen.
This is a OnePlus proprietary system, so Google can’t replicate it in exactly the same way. What did they do? According to leaked previews, Android 16’s “Flexible Screen” will have several modes. We could see these:
- 45% / 45% / 10% (like Open Canvas, with free distribution of windows).
- 60% / 30% / 10% (each window can be deployed in any order you want)
- 50% / 50% (classic split screen for only two apps).
- 33% / 33% / 33% (preview mode after pinching, like in Open Canvas).
Does Android 16’s “Flexible View” mode make sense with the existing “Desktop Windows” mode?
As you can see above, this new feature tested on Android is brilliant. However, with the launch of Windows desktop mode in Android 15 it’s worth asking: does it make sense?
Even though it seems like a redundant feature, we think it can be useful. Flexible screen mode offers a more streamlined experience for users using Windows desktop mode. Here Android is in charge of dividing things quickly following a series of models. Meanwhile, with Windows desktop the user has to choose practically everything.
Apart, There are rare times when a user needs more than three apps open in unison. Not to mention the issue of space, given that the screens of tablets and foldable cell phones are not large enough to integrate many more applications. Not without sacrificing readability.
When will three-way split screen arrive on Android?
As we’ve been saying for some time, this is a feature hidden in the Android 16 code. It is still a fairly green systemAS There’s no way to guarantee it will come with Android 16. It’s also possible that it will never come to Android, although that’s the least likely scenario.
There are several possible scenarios, but none are completely certain. What are they? The following come to mind:
- It boots with stable Android 16 after rapid development.
- It is released in some quarterly updates Android 16.
- It is presented in some later versions of Android, such as 17 or 18.
- Complete its development and it is never implemented (unlikely).
What do you think will happen? Would you use this feature?
