How to Use Split View and PiP Mode Simultaneously

Two great new features coming with iOS 9 are Split View multitasking and Picture-in-Picture Mode (PiP). Here’s how to use both on your iPad at the same time.

We showed you how to use Split View multitasking on iPad and also how to use Picture in Picture Mode to watch videos in another app, but what if you want to use both features at the same time? It’s actually possible.

You might not have thought you could use both features at the same time, but it can be incredibly useful if you want the ultimate multitasking experience on your tablet.

Picture in Picture Mode is great to use when playing Clash of Clans and want to watch movies or videos from another app. I can watch and listen to the video and still fully play Clash of Clans and hear the game sound (although I usually mute it).

With Split View, you can take notes using the Notes app and navigate side-by-side in Safari at the same time, making it the ultimate productivity tool for school or general purpose research.

However, if you want to take notes, browse Safari, and watch a video at the same time, here’s how to do it on your iPad in iOS 9.

Using Split View and Picture Simultaneously in Picture Mode

To use Split View and Picture in Picture Mode at the same time, you need to do a few things to prepare. You need to install Picture in Picture Mode and set up Split View multitasking with the two apps you want to use.

It doesn’t matter which one you install first, but I find it easier to install Picture in Picture Mode. To do this, see our guide on how to set Picture in Picture Mode on your iPad, it’s really easy but you need to make sure the app supports the feature. Currently, YouTube and Netflix do not support Picture-in-Picture.

Once Picture-in-Picture becomes powerful, you will now want to set up Split View. Start by opening an app that supports Split View (like Notes), and then swipe from the right edges of the screen with your iPad in landscape orientation. This will bring up Slide Over, which lets you use another app without leaving the original app you’re in.

When you open it in that little pane, tap and hold the divider and drag it towards the middle of the screen. Split View is now enabled and you can use two apps at the same time and continue watching your video using Picture in Picture Mode.

To exit Split View, simply touch and hold the divider and drag it to the right edge of the screen. You will now be back in one app. To exit Picture-in-Picture Mode, simply click the Picture-in-Picture icon inside the video to bring it back to its app.

There may not be many times when you’ll be using Picture in Split View and Picture in Picture Mode at the same time, watching video can be distracting, especially when trying to do work in Split View Mode, but for those rare times you’ll want to use such a feature is more than possible. Make sure the video doesn’t distract you from your important work! Otherwise, go crazy.