Google’s Pixel Fold is designed for multitasking, but it’s not always obvious where and how to use it. We’ll show you.
We’re still reviewing Google’s Pixel Fold, the company’s first foldable phone. One of the benefits, of course, to any foldable device is that you get multiple displays designed for specific uses. The external display on the Fold is meant to replace a traditional smartphone, albeit a little smaller. The internal screen, however, is just begging to be used for productivity and multitasking.
And as we saw with the Pixel Tablet, Google has some new multitasking tricks for its larger-screened Pixel devices. Below we’ll walk you through how to get the most out of the Pixel Fold’s multitasking features and where to find them.
All about the Pixel Fold’s display
The Pixel Fold’s 7.6-inch internal display is just begging to be used for multitasking. Its size and aspect ratio are designed to display two apps side-by-side without sacrificing any usability.
Not only can you use two apps at the same time, which, let’s be honest, is something Android phones have been able to do for years – but the Fold’s got a new trick in the form of the ability to drag and drop items from one app to another.
Using two apps at the same time from the taskbar
When you have a single app open on the Pixel Fold’s internal display, you can quickly add a second app to either side of the screen by dragging the Taskbar up from the bottom of the screen. The app dock-like bar is where you can put your favorite apps for easy access. With the Taskbar visible, you can drag an app out of the taskbar to either side of your screen, or tap the app drawer icon to access all the apps you have installed on your Fold.
Once you have two apps open on the Fold, you can resize the apps by dragging the middle vertical bar that separates the apps. Double-tap on the bar if you want the apps to switch positions. When you adjust the size of the apps, you can move the bar so that one app is roughly 3/4 of the screen, leaving the other app with the remaining 1/4 of the screen. As you move the bar, the apps will snap to the available sizes – you can’t resize them.
Put apps in split-screen mode using Overview
You’ll see small thumbnails of your recent apps whenever you swipe up from the bottom of the Fold’s screen and pause. This is called the Overview, where you can quickly access any app pairs created for you or pick an app to open in split-screen. To use two apps in split-screen mode from the Overview, follow these steps:
- Swipe up from the bottom of the Fold’s display and stop about a third of the way up.
- A second later, you should see your app Overview.
- Find one of the apps you want to use and tap on the app’s icon.
- A small menu will appear, with one option labeled Split Screen. Tap it.
- The app you just selected will partially slide off the right side of the screen, leaving the Overview visible, along with the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
- Select another app from the Overview, tap an app’s icon in the taskbar, or open the app drawer and pick your second one.
How to use drag-and-drop on the Pixel Fold
The Fold’s multitasking prowess really starts to shine beyond the large display with the ability to drag and drop information between two apps. You can use this feature to move images, videos, links, and text between two apps without much effort.
The easiest way to test how drag and drop works is to open the Google Photos app and Messages in split screen view. Open a conversation in Messages, then find a picture or video you want to send to a contact. Long-press on the picture until it floats, then drag and drop it into the text field on the Messages thread.
According to Google, not every app will support drag and drop, but in my use over the last week and change, I haven’t found a single app that doesn’t at least let me drag and drop text out of my password manager. Your experience will vary, but give each app a try. Google apps that support this feature include Chat, Chrome, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Files By Google, Gmail, Keep, Messages, Photos, and YouTube. And, as I previously said, there are plenty of third-party apps that, at the very least, support text.
You can multitask on the external display, but you won’t want to
The front screen is just like any other Android phone regarding multitasking. You can use two apps in a split-screen arrangement, with the apps stacked atop one another. But it’s incredibly cramped on the Fold, and honestly, nothing you’ll want to use too often simply because you can open the Fold and have a much better experience.
Nonetheless, to trigger split-screen on the external display of the Pixel Fold, first open one of the apps you want to use. If gesture navigation is enabled, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. However, don’t lift your finger off the screen until you see the Overview view, which has a thumbnail preview of the current app you’re using. The app’s icon is at the top of the thumbnail; tap it, then select Split Screen.
The app will slide up and partially off your screen, allowing you to select a second app you want to use from the multitasking pane. Once you have two apps open, you can use either window and resize them by dragging the handle in the small line separating the apps up or down. To swap the location of both apps, double-tap on the bar.
Surely, there’s more to come
These three different Google Pixel Fold multitasking features are more than enough for most. Still, it’s hard to imagine that Google doesn’t adopt some of the productivity features in Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, such as even more apps on one screen.