Open Canvas is perhaps the biggest and most impressive upgrade to smartphone multitasking we’ve ever seen, and Google is gearing up to launch similar functionality in Android 16. While Google didn’t directly copy the split-screen feature, even Oppo thinks it’s close enough and commends Google for implementing it in Android 16.
Back in 2023, the OnePlus Open debuted “Open Canvas,” a feature that Oppo calls “Boundless View” on its devices. The feature allows users to multitasking without the boundaries of the display itself. Apps can run just off-screen and users can switch between them by simply tapping the visible portion of the app at the edge of the display.
In Android 16, Google is implementing a similar multitasking upgrade, with a 90:10 split between two apps on screen. This allows for a quick swap between two open apps without fully removing one of them from view.
Through a post on Weibo, an Oppo executive suggested that the company may have helped bring this split-screen feature to Android as a whole, but the company has confirmed in a statement to Android Authority that this isn’t the case. Rather, Oppo says that Google’s version “draws inspiration” from Oppo, but is merely “a similar feature.” Oppo commended Google for “recognizing the value” of the concept.
The Google ’90:10′ split-screen multitasking feature you mentioned indeed draws inspiration from OPPO’s Boundless View. Boundless View is a productivity-enhancing feature first introduced on the OPPO Find N3 in 2023 and subsequently extended to our bar-style phones, the Find X8 Series, via ColorOS 15 last year. It significantly expands usable screen space and redefines the multitasking experience.
We’re pleased to see that Google has recognized the value of this innovative concept and has now incorporated a similar feature into Android 16.
The new 90:10 multitasking option isn’t yet available in Android 16 on Pixel devices, but it is present in the first beta for Samsung’s Android 16-based One UI 8 update.
More on Android 16:
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