Slide Over and Split View are two amazing features of iOS, but Apple has limited them to a select few iPads for what they call, “performance restraints.”
As we all know, many of Apple’s other devices are capable of utilizing these features too, so a new jailbreak tweak called Gorgone by CydiaGeek unlocks the features on any previously-unsupported devices, so long as they’re jailbroken of course.
To start, we should mention that Slide Over and Split View are normally only enabled on the following devices out of the box:
- iPad Pro
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Air
- iPad mini 4
- iPad mini 3
- iPad mini 2 (except Split View)
You will notice that not a single iPhone, not even the 5.5-inch models, are supported in the list. Neither are certain models of iPad, like the iPad with Retina display, which is perfectly capable of running the feature.
Of course, Apple’s real reason for blocking these features isn’t necessarily due to “performance restraints,” or even “usability issues,” but rather the fact that it’s a marketing ploy to get you to buy their tablets and upgrade to newer ones where necessary.
If you simply install Gorgone, you can activate Slide Over and Split View on any of your devices, regardless of whether Apple has it enabled by default or not. As shown above, the feature works perfectly (and smoothly, I might add) on a 5.5-inch iPhone.
To use it, you just swipe from the right side of the screen, which displays the app picker. From there, you can choose an app, and iOS will load the app right beside the app you’re already in.
The feature would probably even work on a smaller iPhone, like the iPhone SE, but I have a feeling that the severely undersized screen might be a little less comfortable to work with this feature on.
For what it’s worth, the tweak also enables Home screen rotation on unsupported devices, which means even those smaller 4-inch iPhones can enjoy a landscape Home screen, just like the larger iPhones have been enjoying for the last two years.
Gorgone will add a preferences pane to the Settings app where you can enable or disable the tweak on demand. It also includes a Respring button so that you can save your changes.
I think that the Split View works pretty good on a 5.5-inch iPhone, so if you’ve ever needed to look at two apps side by side, I would recommend checking the tweak out. It’s a free download from Cydia’s Bigboss repository and works on all jailbroken iOS 9 and iOS 10 devices.
Would you ever use Slide Over on your iPhone? Share how you would use it below!
