Bubble: Apps in split screen

Bubble: Apps in split screen is one of those utilities you don't realize you need until you're three episodes into a show and someone messages you. Instead of closing your video, you tap a small floating circle, pick an app, and it opens in split-screen alongside whatever you were doing. It works as a floating bubble launcher that lives on top of other apps, designed for people who multitask heavily on their phone.

The Floating Bubble as a Control Center

The bubble itself stays pinned to the edge of your display. You can drag it around, and it partially fades when idle so it doesn't block your content. Tapping it reveals a semi-circular panel with your chosen shortcuts. This includes system toggles like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and volume sliders, plus navigation buttons such as Home, Back, and Recent Apps. There's also a screenshot capture and a direct shortcut to the power menu. For someone who frequently adjusts settings while watching videos or gaming, this Android multitasking bubble removes the need to swipe down the notification shade or return to the home screen.

Launching Apps in Split Screen Without the Usual Friction

Android's native split-screen feature works, but getting there requires holding the recent apps button, selecting an app, then picking a second one. This tool cuts that process to two taps: open the bubble panel, choose an app, and it launches directly into split-screen alongside your current window. It supports any app installed on your device, so you can pair a calculator with a browser, or YouTube with a messaging app. There's no whitelist — if your phone supports split-screen, this tool lets you launch apps in split screen Android more freely than the default method.

Honest Limitations of Bubble: Apps in split screen

It is not without flaws. The bubble can occasionally interfere with touch input near screen edges, especially during gaming where precise taps matter. You can reposition it, but it takes some adjustment. The app also relies on Android's accessibility service to function on certain devices, which means it may conflict with aggressive battery optimization on brands like Xiaomi or Oppo — the process gets killed, and the bubble disappears until you manually reopen the app. Additionally, the shortcut panel layout is not fully customizable. You can choose which shortcuts appear, but there's no option to resize or rearrange them into a custom grid. For heavy users, that feels unnecessarily rigid.

Visual Customization and Material You Support

On devices running Android 12 or newer, the app adopts Material You theming automatically. The bubble tint, panel background, and accent colors within the app all shift to match your current wallpaper. This small touch makes the floating control panel app feel more like a native system element rather than a third-party overlay. For older Android versions, the interface defaults to a clean dark or light theme — nothing flashy, but serviceable.

After using Bubble: Apps in split screen for a few weeks, I found myself relying on it most during media consumption. While watching a stream, I could pull up messaging apps without pausing the video. The split-screen shortcut became my primary way to open lightweight tools like notes or calculators. But I stopped using it on my work phone because aggressive battery optimization kept killing the background service. That is the main trade-off: convenience versus persistence on manufacturer-skinned Android builds. If your device handles background processes well, this app is genuinely useful. If not, you might find yourself reactivating it more often than you would like.