Set Up Side-by-Side Apps Faster: iPadOS 27.2 Adds a Convenient Multitasking Option on iPad | 9to5Mac
A simpler way to tile apps
Before iPadOS 27.2, setting up two apps side by side could involve several steps. Users opened an app, resized it, swiped up to view other apps, selected one and sometimes resized the second app manually.
Now, using Apple’s window controls or menu bar to tile an app left or right brings up the Home Screen. A second app can then be tiled with a single tap.
A change resembling iPhone Duo
The update makes Split View easier to configure, though Apple has not brought the entire iOS system to iPad. The new flow is described as closer to the iPhone Duo experience than the previous approach.
Reviews of iPhone Duo had described its Split View system as more intuitive than iPad multitasking. The iPadOS 27.2 change is likely inspired by that system.
Keyboard shortcuts can help
Apple’s built-in keyboard shortcuts for app tiling offer another way to set up apps side by side. Once users learn them, the process becomes quicker and easier. The change focuses on choosing a second app after tiling the first. It does not make the iPad’s Split View system identical to iPhone Duo.
Key points
- iPadOS 27.2 simplifies setting up side-by-side apps on iPad.
- Tiling an app left or right brings up the Home Screen to select a second app.
- Users can tile that second app with one tap.
- Apple’s keyboard shortcuts can make app tiling quicker.