If you are one of the few privileged people who can receive the latest version of Android on your mobile device, you might want to know that there is a hidden experimental function. Apparently, Google has some interest in optimizing the use of the interface by implementing multiple windows. The Mountain View giant has not made any formal announcement, and when we say “experimental” we actually mean “this-could-explode-in-your-face experimental”, but if you still want to try it and have root access, here you have it.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow began making its rounds on October 5, and as expected, only a handful of devices can receive it at the moment. Google managed to implement several improvements that had been left on the back burner with Lollipop, but the big debt of Android, a coherent update system that reaches most users, remains pending. In the preliminary list appear all Nexus smartphones from the 5 onward, the Nexus 7 (2013) and Nexus 9 tablets, the Nexus Player, and several phones from Motorola, Sony, and HTC. Naturally, the enthusiast community stepped forward to cover the most notable gaps, including the absence of an official image compatible with the Nexus 4, but Marshmallow has something hidden in its depths: a multiple windows mode
In recent times, all companies have tried to emphasize multitasking on mobile devices. After all, we are carrying computers in our pockets, and beyond battery limitations, multitasking is one of the best ways to take advantage of available hardware resources. To enable this terribly experimental multiple windows mode, you need root access and a text editor capable of invoking root to modify system files. Go to the “System” folder, find the file named “build.prop”, open it with the editor, add at the end of it the line “persist.sys.debug.multi_window=true” (without quotes), save the changes, and reboot the device.
If everything goes well, the multiple windows mode will be exposed when you open several applications. In the top right of each entry you will see the multitasking button, and tapping it gives you the option to take the top half of the screen, the bottom half, or occupy the whole. The user will be able to interact with both halves of the screen at the same time, but the first sharp edges appear just by rotating the phone. We'll see what else Google can tell us about this mode. Meanwhile, enjoy.
