Inside iOS 10: Split-screen view in Safari for iPad boosts productivity

Apple's newly released iOS 10 improves multitasking on the iPad by offering a new split-screen mode in Safari, allowing users to have two tabs open side-by-side simultaneously.

iPad owners can view two websites at once by simply pressing the "plus" button in the upper right corner to open a new tab.

When a second tab is opened and displayed just below the navigation bar, users can tap, hold and drag the title of the tab, anywhere to the right of the 'X' to close the tab.

Once dragging the tab, move your finger to the right or left edge of the iPad display. The main Safari browser will shrink slightly, exposing a small gray border around the app, and a larger space where the dragged tab is being held.

Now, just drop the tab in this space, and Safari will automatically display both tabs in a new split-screen mode, dubbed "Split-View."

When using Safari in split-screen mode, iOS essentially treats it as having two Safari browsers open simultaneously, each with their own links to bookmarks, entering a URL and creating new tabs. And each half of the screen can also have their own array of tabs open.

Apple also allows users to drag tabs from one half of the screen's browser to the other, sorting them as they like.

Safari's split-screen view can also be used with Slide Over in iOS 10, allowing quick, temporary access to another app while browsing two websites.

To return to a single browser, simply close all of the tabs on either side of the screen, and iOS 10 will automatically return Safari to its traditional layout.

iOS 10 does not support having more than two browser views open at once. And while Slide Over is accessible, you cannot use multi-app split-screen multitasking with two browsers also open in iOS 10 — even with a larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Entering multi-app split screen mode simply defaults to the leftmost browser window, and removing the secondary app restores Safari to its own split-screen multi-browser mode.

You also cannot resize the proportion of the screen that each of the two Safari browsers take up. By default, in the first beta of iOS 10, the Safari browsers are split down the middle.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in June following Apple's announcement of iOS 10 at WWDC 2016. It has been updated and republished to coincide with the mobile operating system's public release. For more on iOS 10, see AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 10.