Apple Just Updated Old iPad Split View Feature in iPadOS 27.2
iPadOS 27.2, released in October 2026, changes how iPad owners set up Split View, the split-screen mode Apple introduced in 2015. Users now pick a second app from window controls or the menu bar instead of resizing both apps by hand.
Apple just updated old iPad feature Split View in iPadOS 27.2, released in October 2026, so users can set up two apps side by side without resizing windows by hand.
It is a small change with a daily payoff for anyone who multitasks on a tablet.
What changed in Split View
Split View has let iPad users run two apps on screen at once since iOS 9 arrived in 2015. Until now, setting it up took several steps.
Users had to launch the first app and shrink it down. Only then could they swipe up to reach a second app, and both windows needed manual resizing.
iPadOS 27.2 removes most of that routine. A user now opens either the window controls or the menu bar, chooses an additional app, and selects which side of the screen it should occupy.
The update also included changes to Siri's AI capabilities on iPad, according to the report.
The iPhone Duo comparison
The timing invites comparison with Apple's first foldable. The iPhone Duo reached stores in October 2026 at $1,999, and its split-screen setup is a selling point.
On the Duo, a user swipes up from the bottom of the screen and presses pause. The half of the display that shows the home menu then lets them open another app.
The two tiles can be arranged however the user likes. That allows two different apps, or two windows of the same app, to run at once.
Another route starts from an app icon. Holding a finger on an icon in the home menu or the app library brings up an option labeled Open in Split View.
What it means for iPad owners
The pitch is that an iPad now handles split-screen work in a way that feels close to the Duo's. For some owners, that may remove a reason to spend $1,999 on new hardware.
Depending on how a person works, the Duo could still become the better split-screen device, the report says. That is a judgment about use, not a measured comparison, and no side-by-side testing has been published.
The update is available now for iPads that can run iPadOS 27.2. Apple has not announced further changes to Split View.
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