Gmail Split Screen Shows Up on iPad

Google finally adds multitasking to its venerable email app

by
Rob LeFebvre
Senior News Editor
Rob LeFebvre has been a freelance technology writer for 10 years and an educator for 20. His articles have appeared in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and many others.
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Rob LeFebvre
Published July 7, 2020

If you use your iPad for actual work, you know split screen is important to getting things done. Now you can do it in Gmail and other Google iOS apps, too.

Multitasking with Gmail on iPad
 Google

Google has finally brought true iPad-style multitasking to its iPadOS apps, including email juggernaut Gmail, Calendar, and Photos.

What's this? There are two ways to work with more than one app at a time on iPad, called Slide Over and Split View. Slide Over puts a second app in a dismissible column on the right or left side of your iPad screen, while Split View puts two regular-style apps next to each other on the same screen.

How to get it: iPad multitasking for Google apps is on by default, and is available immediately for all regular and G Suite app users. You may need to update the iPad apps via the App Store, first.

Google says: "To enter split view, when in Gmail and swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Dock. On the Dock, touch and hold the app you want to open and drag it to the left or right edge of your screen," Google wrote in its blog post.

The company also recommends you enable Keyboard Shortcuts for Gmail "for even more efficiency."

Bottom line: If you do any serious work on the iPad, you'll welcome this new feature for the apps you probably use the most, anyway.

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