It was well thought that foldable phones would be the solution to the problem. With a larger screen area, it would be easier to use several apps side by side at the same time. Cut and paste content in between, take notes while browsing a web page or join a video meeting. The whole existence of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Honor Magic v6 and Pixel Fold lies in making you more productive. Maybe even be able to leave the computer at home and do everything on the mobile.
Historically, even before the foldable phones, we have seen several different solutions for multitasking, on both Ios and Android, but mostly on Android. Sony, for example, highlighted early on, with its long narrow screens, the advantage of being able to have two apps in a split screen. Additionally, there was the Sidesense context menu that let you launch two apps in pairs with ease.
How multitasking works today differs a little depending on which phone you have. The basis, in for example the Pixel 10 Pro Fold that I’m using at the moment, is that you open two apps in the big screen and they then each have half of the space, 50-50. It can be adjusted to 90-10 to easily get maximum screen space but at the same time easy access to the other app. This turns out to be the key to success, just focusing on one thing at a time and pushing the rest to the edges. Not quite traditional multitasking, then, but significantly better than traditional multitasking.
It was well thought that foldable phones would be the solution to the problem. With a larger screen area, it would be easier to use several apps side by side at the same time. Cut and paste content in between, take notes while browsing a web page or join a video meeting. The whole existence of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Honor Magic v6 and Pixel Fold lies in making you more productive. Maybe even be able to leave the computer at home and do everything on the mobile.
Historically, even before the foldable phones, we have seen several different solutions for multitasking, on both Ios and Android, but mostly on Android. Sony, for example, highlighted early on, with its long narrow screens, the advantage of being able to have two apps in a split screen. Additionally, there was the Sidesense context menu that let you launch two apps in pairs with ease.
How multitasking works today differs a little depending on which phone you have. The basis, in for example the Pixel 10 Pro Fold that I’m using at the moment, is that you open two apps in the big screen and they then each have half of the space, 50-50. It can be adjusted to 90-10 to easily get maximum screen space but at the same time easy access to the other app. This turns out to be the key to success, just focusing on one thing at a time and pushing the rest to the edges. Not quite traditional multitasking, then, but significantly better than traditional multitasking.
The next step for multitasking is a floating window over the two you’ve already opened, which you get in, for example, the Fold 7, but if you haven’t already had problems typing with the keyboard with two apps running, you’re guaranteed to get it when you add a third app floating over everything.
This is where the app bubbles in Android 17 come in and save the day. They are something of a combination of floating windows and the row of icons at the bottom of the phone screen. With a quick swipe of my finger at the bottom corner, I get my bubbles up. I toggle the app bubble by selecting one of the icons and a tap then shows that app in a small window above everything else. I still have the main focus on the app that has the most space and is in the background and the bubbles I can move between the right and left half of the screen as needed.
The key is simply to focus and only have other apps in the periphery so to speak. This makes multitasking more useful both in foldable phones and in phones with smaller screens where multitasking has never been a realistic way of working.