One of the awesome features of smartphone interface provided by latest Android versions is the multi-window operations. The feature has existed in different forms over the years until the release of Android Nougat which brought a predictable and uniform implementation of multi-window support. Presently, there are three different multi-window modes: split-screen, freeform, and picture-in-picture which is available for phones in Android Oreo.

The split-screen feature lets users run two apps side by side but that isn’t entirely true. Usually, the two apps can not run in real-time as one will be paused while the other one is active. For instance, if a user tries to run a gaming app and watch a video at the same time, if the video is active, the game will be paused and vice versa. Users will need to click on the on the window they want to be active before it will start running. Presently, there is no provision in stock Android to retain both apps as active and Android Pie has no solution. However, that will soon change with the coming Android Q. thanks to Android’s recently added support for foldable smartphones.

Google is now reportedly introducing a new feature called “multi-resume” which is set to become mandatory in Android Q. The multi-resume feature will make it possible for multiple apps to be open and actually be running at the same time. Google will also start allowing manufacturers to keep all apps resumed/active when in multi-window. At present, this feature is available on Samsung latest models with the “MultiStar” module in Good Lock and in no distant time, native support will be available on all Android devices. There is even the possibility of the feature becoming available on Android Pie but since it has shipped, both the OEM and the app will have to opt-in in order to test this feature on an existing Android Pie device.  This will be a joint effort of OEMs and app developers and since it is a good feature, it might get adopted early.  Thus, OEMs will need to roll out an update to include support for multi-resume on the particular smartphone, and the app developer also needs to include a special tag in their Manifest to enable functionality for their particular app.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mi A2 Android Pie beta update rolling out

Android Q will, however, come with the multi-resume support as a mandatory behaviour. This is a sure indication that foldable smartphones will be the trend of 2019 as the feature is very much need for the interface to work with fluidity. Large screen smartphones and phones with split-screen support will find the feature beneficial as it would allow multitasking with ease.

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If you are one of those waiting patiently for the MIUI 9 update to hit your Xiaomi model as soon as possible, this might disappoint you, especially if you’re anticipating to have a feel of the Split screen feature MIUI 9 comes with. This is because Xiaomi has made a shocking disclosure that not all models would support the Split screen feature. This means that even if MIUI 9 update did hit your Xiaomi model, if it is not among the models that support Split screen, you won’t be able to use the feature.

Xiaomi released the list of models which would have the split screen feature and surprising, out of about 36 models which would get MIUI 9 update, only 16 would have the Split screen function. This is because Split screen feature is only available for models running the Android 7.0 Nougat kernel while those using lower OS versions won’t support it.

Read More: Xiaomi Enters The Smart Speaker Race With The Mi AI Speaker

The list of supported models includes the Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Mi 6, Mi Max, Mi Max 2, Mi 5, Mi 5s, and Mi 5s Plus. Others include the Mi 5c, the newly launched Mi 5x, Mi 4S, Mi 4c, Mi Note top-end version, Redmi Note 4X-Qualcomm version, Redmi 4X and Mi 3. There should be no argument that Split screen was featured on Android Nougat and so, it isn’t really a new innovation from Xiaomi.

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Xiaomi‘s MIUI 9 will be officially unveiled tomorrow in a ceremony holding in Beijing, China. Ahead of that official unveiling, an official preview of the MIUI 9’s new and latest features have been compiled on the MIUI Forum and as usual, we’ve got it right here for you. So, here’s a summary of what we know so far about Xiaomi’s latest custom ROM.

1. MIUI 9 Themes: Xiaomi’s MIUI is known for it attractive themes and MIUI will be coming with three new themes which are translated from Chinese as No Boundary, Color Fantasy and Cool Black. The three theme will be available along with the default themes. As we have seen earlier, the Dock bar has been redesigned and the dock icons do not have texts below them, giving a neat look to the home screen. It is likely that the text will appear as you hover over the icon.

2. Xiaomi Mi 6, Redmi Note 4 (Qualcomm version), Redmi Note 4X will receive MIUI 9 Beta update first!

Xiaomi had earlier revealed that its latest flagship model Mi 6 will be joined by the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Note 4X as the first models that would receive MIUI 9 update. This is said to be in order to ensure MIUI 9 offers a great user experience in terms of stability, smoothness, and better battery backup. The second batch is made up of popular Mi devices- Mi 2/2S will receive MIUI 9 update. Other models will follow and the update will be pushed by stages. Xiaomi is presently recruiting beta testers so if you own any of the models and would want to join in (China ROM), head over to MIUI Forum.

3. New Design in Lock Screen Shortcut

The fingerprint sensor is mainstream now, almost every phone launched comes with a fingerprint sensor. For those who own Mi Devices with a front fingerprint sensor, they can’t use long press home button feature to activate torch as it will unlock their phone. Owners of these models with fingerprint sensor can now access it by swiping to the right on your lock screen. There are also other useful shortcuts like Mi Home, Mi Remote, Mi Pay, Transport Card, and Torch could be accessed in one place as well.

4. Split Screen Feature

Split Screen Feature was introduced in Mi Max 2 launched on 25th May 2017. This feature was tested in Mi 5 device MIUI 8 Alpha ROM and made available in MIUI 8 7.7.13 Beta ROM for Mi 6 and Mi Max 2. Now Mi Devices with Android 7.0 and above are confirmed to have split screen feature such as the Mi 6, Mi MIX, Mi Note 2, Mi Max, Mi Max 2, Mi 5, Redmi Note 4X just to name a few. We’ll reveal more info about list of eligible devices after the launch.

5. Simplify and Optimized System

As more features are added to MIUI, the ROM size eventually gets bigger and rarely used features are left redundant. Therefore, the MIUI team has decided to simplify and optimize our ROM by removing Child Mode, WiWide (provides public wifi networks to stores and restaurants in China), Contact Card, Showtime (Caller Profile Video) and more.

MIUI 9 will be coming with several other technological breakthroughs which would be unveiled when it is launched.

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Xiaomi kick-started the development of the next major version of its custom ROM dubbed MIUI 9 about six months ago. While devices are still getting upgrades based on MIUI 8 and new features keeps entering the latest version, the company has been shown to still be working on the MIUI 9. A recent letter by Xiaomi to its developers have revealed more of the features the MIUI 9 would bring to the table.

According to the document, the MIUI 9 would come with two new features identified as “split screen” and picture-in-picture (PIP). The document gives the relevant recommendations to developers who we believe are working on the new MIUI 9. You can peruse the document on Split screen from here, while the Picture-in-Picture description can be seen from here.

Read More: Users Will be Able To Delete System Apps in MIUI 9

The documents didn’t specifically mention the MIUI 9 even though Xiaomi had signalled from its inception that it is working on the next-gen ROM. But it is indicated in the letter that the features would be for the MIUI next version. More so, the features would be adapted for Android 7.0 and Xiaomi asked developers to adapt their work to the Android standard interface without the need for MIUI for the adaptation work. That is another pointer to the fact that the features would not be restricted to the current versions of MIUI.

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Xiaomi’s MIUI OS is one of the popular ROMs available in the market right now and all Xiaomi smartphones come with the OS pre-installed. The company released the brand new MIUI 8 OS about two months ago and the OS is already in beta. The final version should be up and ready in a few weeks, after which you can expect Xiaomi phones to start receiving the update.

The new MIUI 8 version brings a lot of visual changes, and now, the colors on the OS change according to the month or even the weather. The company has included more young colors to make it look more vibrant and alive. There are a lot of feature additions as well, and today, we received information that the MIUI 8 will also add split screen multitasking.

In fact, MIUI seems to have confirmed that split-screen multitasking will soon come to MIUI 8. However, it doesn’t look like the feature will be available in the first release. So, we don’t know exactly when the feature will be available to the users, but it should be sometime later in the future minor updates to the ROM.

RELATED: MIUI 8 Enters Open Beta

Other features of the new MIUI 8 include recording live screen as well as support for fingerprint payments, like its own wallet service as well as Alipay (in the future).

MIUI 8 brings a lot of new features, and all of them have been detailed in this article. Check it out for more details.

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Vivo has been teasing a number of features on its upcoming Vivo X6 flagship smartphone. According to the latest teaser from the company, the Vivo X6 will feature split screen multi-tasking, making sure that you can make the most out of its 4GB RAM on board.

Like tradition, even this particular teaser comes via gif image, wherein we can see that the phone can open up two apps side by side at one time. In the image, it was shown that the user could switch to split screen mode while watching a video to send a message. As we mentioned above, the phone will feature 4GB of RAM which will be more than enough to enable smooth multi-tasking on the device.

Apart from the split screen multi-tasking mode and 4GB of RAM, Vivo X6 is confirmed to feature a fast fingerprint sensor at the back. This sensor will support fingerprint enabled payment systems as well. The phone will come in an all metal body with a design similar to its previous models and will be available in at least three color options namely rose gold, silver and gold.

Pricing is yet to be revealed, but don’t expect the phone to be cheap. The release is expected to be around the first week of December, which is just a few days away. Until then, we are sure to receive more details on the upcoming device, so stay tuned.

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