This new design made multitasking very inefficient as a result of just one massive app card is seen on the display screen at a time, whereas a sliver of 1 extra app is proven off to the facet. There is not any solution to inform what app is subsequent within the record till it seems, making it arduous to modify shortly between greater than two apps at a time. Fortunately, firms like OnePlus, Vivo, Samsung, and some others have discovered that this UI is not the very best.
From grids of apps to floating home windows, triple-app break up screens, and fast app switching, I’ve picked out my favourite Android multitasking UIs that’ll allow you to get extra performed in much less time. Probably the most environment friendly solution to multitask on a contemporary Android telephone is to make use of swipe gestures, not the normal 3-button navigation structure, so most of the gesture-based options I discuss under are depending on that setting.
One of the best: OnePlus
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
OnePlus and Oppo telephones allow you to shortly swap between 10 apps without delay with a single swipe and a faucet.
OnePlus has the very best default multitasking UI you may discover on any Android telephone, however it wasn’t at all times that means. Again when Android 9 Pie got here out, OnePlus shortly adopted Google’s horrible UI however realized its mistake when its most loyal customers had been sad with the oversimplified UI. Since then, OnePlus’ multitasking UI design has managed to bridge the very best of each thought, providing a fast solution to immediately swap between seven apps without delay, run two apps without delay, and even shortly hover a 3rd app on the display screen.
From the overview UI, it is potential to select from the final 10 apps with a single swipe and a faucet. That is because of the short slider on the backside that exhibits the icons of every app together with a big card of the app above it. That is the quickest you may swap between apps on any Android UI and it is also obtainable on OPPO telephones because of the corporate’s merging of Colour OS and Oxygen OS code bases.
Sarcastically, this UI is similar to what Apple used to have in iOS 7-9 earlier than the iPhone X got here out. I say mockingly as a result of the corporate made multitasking worse by eradicating the underside row of icons, however fortunately, OnePlus and OPPO realized their mistake and capitalized on it.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
You can even shortly break up the display screen or make the present app float by dragging your thumb up from the underside of the display screen till the present app card rests within the “floating” or “break up” sections that seem on the display screen. Another telephones, like Samsung, have a model of this characteristic however do not will let you do it in a single swipe.
The introduction of the Canvas characteristic from the OnePlus Open was rolled into the Oxygen OS 15/Colour OS 15 replace for any eligible telephone and lets you run split-screen apps in a “almost full-screen” mode. This makes it extra handy to make use of split-screen mode as a result of you may have the distinguished app take up 90% of the show whereas the opposite rests on the backside 10%, ready to be maximized.
Runner-up: Vivo
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Vivo presents a number of a grid or AOSP-style card record proper on the Overview display screen.
Out of the field, Vivo customers can shortly choose between the normal single-large-card UI and a tablet-like grid of playing cards with the faucet of a button. On the Overview UI, simply faucet the icon on the backside to modify between the 2 views, making it straightforward to pick out from 4 apps by way of a single faucet and one other 4 with a swipe.
You’ll find this grid of playing cards on different telephones, however most require you to do one thing particular to allow it. Foldable telephones often solely have this UI on the big inside show, and whereas Samsung telephones supply a number of related UI choices, you need to individually obtain the Good Lock app from the Galaxy Apps retailer together with a separate module simply to seek out the choice. Vivo makes it obtainable by way of a single faucet on all its telephones.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Vivo’s UI additionally options the identical swipe-up-and-hold to both break up or float the lively window that is on OnePlus and OPPO telephones. In actual fact, most telephones from China sport this characteristic, making us marvel why Samsung, Google, Motorola, and others do not implement it.
Energy person possibility: Samsung
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Samsung’s default stacked playing cards in One UI 7 presents kinetic scrolling, enhancing the inventory expertise, however the actual key lies in utilizing one of many many Good Lock alternate options.
Samsung lastly acquired with this system and did one thing in regards to the horrible inventory multitasking UI in Android when it started rolling out the One UI 7 beta on the finish of 2024. The brand new UI appears to be like like a mash-up of Android and iOS designs, sporting the stacked card look of iOS with the 4 fast icons on the backside.
The issue with Samsung’s design is that the icons on the backside aren’t based mostly on lively apps. They’re based mostly on an algorithm Google constructed into Android that tries to determine which apps you utilize most frequently. Meaning these icons are virtually by no means the identical, and whereas they’ll typically be useful, the shortage of consistency is extra an issue than a assist.
In any case, Samsung’s playing cards “snap” into place, making it simpler to concentrate on each because it passes by. However you do not have to cope with this nonsense UI when you actually wish to multitask. Simply obtain Good Lock and change mainly something you see on the Overview display screen.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
With Good Lock, you may choose from 5 completely different “activity changer” UI designs. Listing is the default possibility that exhibits one vertical card at a time. Grid is the one I praised Vivo for together with by default, and it exhibits six app playing cards on display screen at a time. Stack is the brand new default in One UI 7 and exhibits one distinguished card up entrance with three playing cards “peaking” behind it. This one makes it simpler to see what app is subsequent within the record however does not improve multitasking as a lot because the Grid possibility does.
The Vertical Listing possibility resembles the unique Galaxy Nexus multitasking UI of vertically-scrolling playing cards, which makes higher use of display screen area than the default horizontal record. The final possibility, Slim Listing, is the “actual” energy person possibility because it presents seven apps to select from instantly.
Samsung additionally presents hover and split-screen app choices, however it is advisable to open up the Overview UI first, then long-press on a card and drag it to the suitable motion. That is an additional step versus what Vivo, OnePlus, OPPO, and different Chinese language manufacturers supply.
Honorable point out: Foldables
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Ebook model foldables supply a number of methods to multitask, and most have a pinnable dock that permits for one-tap multitasking.
Technically, book-style foldables just like the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold and the OnePlus Open supply the very best multitasking expertise on any telephone, however not everybody likes the scale of those gadgets. Most supply a unique multitasking expertise on the smaller outer show than what’s on the massive inside show.
Some foldables, just like the Honor Magic V3 under, do not have an choice to “pin” the dock on the backside of the display screen. Most different book-style foldables, nevertheless, will let you have this dock current always, which means multitasking is a single faucet away always.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
OnePlus wins the award for greatest foldable multitasking UI as a result of its small display screen UI is equivalent to its different telephones, together with that helpful row of app icons on the backside. While you open the telephone, you may discover there is no actual purpose to ever open Overview, because of the app dock on the backside of the display screen.
Whereas most foldables have this dock now because of Samsung and Android 12L, OnePlus one-ups issues with its Canvas software program that permits you to run three apps at a time on the massive display screen. You possibly can prepare these in a number of methods, however it takes multitasking to a brand new stage.
Barely higher than inventory: Google, Motorola, Nothing, Honor
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Many Android producers have chosen to stay largely to the inventory UI however add a number of comfort options. Motorola and Google supply fast motion buttons on the backside for taking a screenshot, permitting you to screenshot an app within the Overview UI with out having to reopen it. I am undecided who makes use of this, however I’ve by no means discovered myself tapping the button apart from to see what it does.
Motorola additionally presents a button under the playing cards that locks the app in reminiscence, making it a precedence to remain in RAM for fast entry in case the telephone is working low. That is greatest for telephones just like the Moto G 2025 that solely have 4GB of RAM and would possibly reload apps typically. A 3rd button is obtainable from the Overview UI on some Motorola telephones when the sidebar gesture possibility is enabled, permitting apps to be shortly floated with a faucet after which moved right into a semi-hidden facet panel when minimized.
Google Pixel telephones have a screenshot button and a second “Choose” button that may extract textual content from an app tile, however it’s far slower and clunkier than simply swiping between two apps utilizing the gesture bar on the backside of the display screen. Some playing cards on the Pixel Overview UI even have a fast “copy hyperlink” or “copy picture” button, which is definitely fairly helpful on some events. General, although, the Pixel’s Overview UI is overengineered and poorly designed.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
These firms add one thing to the barebones AOSP expertise however do not repair the core drawback of the big card design.
Honor retains the default big card UI however enhances issues by including a small button to the highest proper of every card to immediately float the window. This does not assist with switching between greater than two apps shortly, however it’s at the very least a bit of higher for juggling three apps when you could have one floating. Honor additionally has a fast hover and split-screen motion once you swipe up from the underside of the display screen and drag the cardboard to the suitable motion.
Nothing does not add any buttons to the Overview UI however does enable customers to shortly float the lively app by sliding up from the underside of the display screen till the cardboard will get to the highest half of the display screen. This can put the app in a floating window for nicer multitasking, full with clearly marked “reduce” and “shut” buttons within the app’s floating body (much like Motorola), however general, it is essentially the most primary of all 4 firms listed right here.
Whereas these 4 firms do one thing higher than AOSP, they’re area of interest options that you just in all probability will not use on a regular basis. They do not repair the principle drawback, which is the inefficient single big card on the display screen and no actual solution to shortly swap to a different app with out pointless scrolling. Moreover, none of them supply the kinetic scrolling Samsung presents, making it harder to seek out the app you need as the cardboard goes whizzing by.
AOSP wants a facelift
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
I discover it very arduous to know why Google hasn’t mounted this UI within the seven years since Android 9 Pie was launched. I acquired excited when the primary Pixel Fold was unveiled in Might 2023 and showcased a grid-like multitasking UI , solely to later discover out that this UI solely appeared on the big inside show, not the outer show that I used more often than not.
The underside line is that Android’s default Overview multitasking UI wants an enormous facelift. One of the best different proper now could be OnePlus’s default design, which takes the big card format and considerably enhances it with a easy icon grid under, making it straightforward to modify between the final 10 apps with a single swipe and a faucet.
Each different firm convolutes this course of not directly, with the next-best possibility falling beneath the grid format on Vivo and Samsung telephones or the vertically-scrolling “slim record” on Samsung’s Good Lock app. Any firm that opts for inventory Android is solely caught with the worst possibility potential, making multitasking a chore moderately than a pleasure.
Google wants to deal with this with Android 16 , and it must occur ASAP. You’ve gotten numerous choices to select from, Google. Any of them could be an enchancment over what’s presently obtainable. Thanks.
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