iOS 9 was the awakening call for Apple to make use of the extra screen real estate on the iPad and saw the introduction of two new features - Split screen multitasking and Slide Over. Split screen multitasking allows you to open two apps side-by-side simultaneously, whereas Slide Over allows you to interact with another app without leaving the current app by a screen swipe gesture. Both these features work with a limited number of iPad models and iPhone users were not even invited to the party. So, if you’ve wanted the feature on your iPhone, I’ll show you how you can get Split Screen multitasking on your iPhone:
Note: This procedure requires you to have a Jailbroken iPhone, so if you haven’t already, head to our guide on how to Jailbreak iOS 10.2
Install Gorgone from Cydia
- Open Cydia on your iPhone and search for “Gorgone” in the Search tab. Because this tweak is hosted on BigBoss repo and it is added by default in Cydia, you do not need to add any other custom Source.
- Tap “Install” > “Confirm“.
- Tap on “Restart SpringBoard” to complete the installation process.
Your device will restart in a few seconds and Gorgone should be installed successfully at this point.
Then, take a minute to configure Gorgone’s settings. Head over to “Settings” > “Gorgone” and turn on “Enable Rotation“. This enables rotations in most of the apps and on the home screen.
The second option, “Enable Lock Screen rotation” is for iOS 9 only and doesn’t work on iOS 10 right now.
How to Use Split Screen Multitasking on iPhone
Inside any app, swipe left from the middle-right edge of the screen. This will bring up all the installed applications on your iPhone.
Tapping on any one of them slides it over and gains focus. This works exactly like iPad’s Slide Over feature. You can interact with another app, without leaving the current app. You can just swipe back to switch to the previous app when you’re done.
This is particularly useful when say, you’re inside an app and need to search the web in a jiffy. You can make a web search using Safari (or any other web browser for iPhone) without leaving the current app and quickly return to the app with a simple swipe.
To access Split screen mode, rotate your iPhone to enter landscape mode. Inside any app, swipe left from the middle-right edge of the screen to enter Slide Over mode. Pick the app you want to open from the list. Tapping on the small drag bar will now put the apps side-by-side and you can use both of them simultaneously.
Swiping down from the top white drag bar will bring back the list of installed apps.
To exit Split screen mode, just slide away the app using the drag bar in the middle of both the apps.
I did not encounter any bugs on my Jailbroken iPhone 6 while using Gorgone. The only thing that bugs me is that it enables rotation across all installed apps. While this may be a boon for some, it makes some apps look just..terrible. Hopefully, we’ll get an option to disable rotation for some specific apps in future releases. Other than this minor issue, Gorgone is pretty rock solid.
If you need to disable Gorgone temporarily, you can just tap “Disable“, or if you no longer require it, consider uninstalling it from Cydia.
Split Screen Multitasking On iPhone Using Gorgone
Thanks to Gorgone, iPhone users can enjoy one of the greatest features of the iPad on their iPhone, the easy way. This can save you a lot of time if you find yourself constantly switching to and fro between multiple apps. Fellow users, how do you unleash the potential of split-screen multitasking to enhance your productivity? Let me know in the comments section below.
