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How to Set Up a Foldable Phone for Multitasking and One-Handed Use

Configure multitasking on your foldable and make frequently used controls easier to reach, with steps for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Pixel Fold, and Motorola razr fold.
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Which manufacturer and model do you have? Foldable-phone multitasking and reachability controls differ across Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Google Pixel Fold, and Motorola razr fold. Start with the steps for your device, then check that the apps you use support the layout you want.

Set up multitasking on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold

Enable and use the taskbar

Samsung lets you enable the taskbar from Home screen settings or Display; the exact path can vary by model and software version. The taskbar gives you quick access to apps, including recent or suggested apps. While an app is open, drag another app from the taskbar onto the screen to open Multi window.

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You can also open the Multi app tray and drag apps into the position you want for split-screen or pop-up view. Samsung says certain Z Fold models can handle up to five apps at once; that limit is not universal across the Fold line. See Samsung’s guide to using Flex mode and viewing apps on Galaxy foldable phones for supported-model details.

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Save a two-app layout you use often

For recurring tasks, keep your usual apps easy to launch from the taskbar or Multi app tray. Samsung’s cited guidance describes those ways to open apps together but does not establish a saved app-pair workflow for every Z Fold model. Check your device’s current Multi window controls rather than assuming a feature from another generation is available.

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Use Flex mode as a hands-free layout

  1. Open Settings > Advanced features > Flex mode panel and turn the panel on, if the setting is available on your device.
  2. Partly fold the phone and place it on a stable surface. In compatible apps, content can appear in the upper portion while controls such as brightness, volume, or a touchpad appear below.

Flex mode compatibility varies by app, as Samsung notes. Its support page also has conflicting model information: it lists the Z Fold8 and Z TriFold among devices for the activation steps but says Flex mode is not supported on those models. Confirm availability on the exact device and software before relying on it.

Choose app layouts and screen continuity

On supported models, go to Settings > Display > Screen layout and zoom > Multi view to make compatible apps such as Settings and Samsung Messages use a dual-column layout. To choose which apps continue between the cover and main screens, look under Settings > Display > Full screen apps or for Continue apps on cover screen. Labels and availability differ on newer models, and Samsung warns that some apps do not fully support continuity.

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You can add frequently used apps to both the cover and main-screen home screens. Adding an app to one does not automatically add it to the other. Cover-screen mirroring can synchronize layouts on some older Z Fold generations.

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Set up multitasking on a Google Pixel Fold

Open two apps side by side

  1. Unfold the phone and open an app.
  2. Slowly swipe up from the bottom edge to reveal the taskbar.
  3. Drag a second app from the taskbar to the left or right side of the screen.

Google documents using two apps at a time on Pixel Fold. For alternatives, swipe up and hold to open Overview, tap Split, then choose the second app; or touch and hold an app icon and choose Split. These controls are described in Google Pixel Phone Help’s Pixel Fold split-screen guide.

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Resize or save a repeated pair

Drag the center divider toward either side to close one pane. To make a frequently used combination easier to reopen, save the pair from Overview using Save app pair. Google says the saved pair can be placed on the home screen or taskbar. Apps can still be used when the phone is folded, but the intended layout and behavior may differ between screens.

Set up multitasking on a Motorola razr fold

Configure the sidebar

On the razr fold, go to Settings > Gestures > Sidebar to customize the apps it contains; enable recent apps if useful. Choose whether sidebar apps open In freeform or In full screen. Drag an app to the screen center to change its mode, or to the top or bottom to enter split screen.

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Resize, swap, or save split-screen apps

Motorola’s razr fold help describes opening split screen from an app or its icon, dragging the divider to resize, swapping app positions, changing orientation, and replacing one app. It also supports saving a frequently used combination as an app combo. The controls are specific to the cited razr fold help version; menu names and behavior may change with software updates. See Motorola’s razr fold multitasking guide.

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Use freeform windows or picture-in-picture

Freeform windows can be moved and resized. Some video and navigation apps also support a movable picture-in-picture frame while you use another app. Availability depends on the app.

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Make one-handed use more manageable

Samsung: turn on One-handed mode

  1. Open Settings > Advanced features > One-handed mode.
  2. Enable the feature and choose Gesture or Button.
  3. Use the selected gesture or button to shrink the display. Move the reduced view with its arrow or gray top bar.

Samsung notes that some features cannot be used while One-handed mode is active. The setting is documented in Samsung’s Galaxy foldable support guide.

Pixel Fold and razr fold: use general reachability adjustments

The cited Google and Motorola guides do not document a dedicated built-in one-handed mode for these foldables. Do not assume the Samsung setting or menu path exists on them. For easier reach, place your most-used apps within thumb range on the screen you use most, put taskbar or sidebar shortcuts within easy reach, and use split-screen or freeform windows only when they make the task easier rather than forcing a cramped layout.

Check app and model compatibility before settling on a layout

  • Confirm the exact model and software version. Feature names, supported models, and settings paths can differ between generations and updates.
  • Test each app in the intended layout. Split screen, pop-up or freeform views, Flex mode, and continuity are not guaranteed to work identically in every app.
  • Check both screens. A layout or app setting on the cover screen may not be mirrored on the inner screen, and continuity controls are model-dependent.
  • Use the manufacturer’s current help for your device. Samsung’s documented multi-app maximum applies only to certain models; Google documents two apps at a time on Pixel Fold; Motorola’s sidebar and app-combo instructions are for the razr fold help version cited above.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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