Samsung’s Galaxy Note II didn’t just arrive with some pretty impressive hardware, but had a few unique software tricks that also managed to pique our interest. Chief among those was the Multi Window View mode, allowing certain apps to run in a split-screen interface. Since Multi Window View first debuted, we’ve seen it come a long way, both thanks to a mod that expands its compatibility to work with additional apps, as well as Samsung moving to bring the mode to its other smartphones. While that means that newer models like the Galaxy S III are seeing the arrival of Multi Window View, what about older Samsungs? You need look no farther than the passionate Samsung development community, which has managed to bring split-screen to the old Galaxy S II.

There are two ways to get this done, either by flashing a quick-and-easy version that adds multi-window mode to an existing Android 4.1.2 ROM, or by manually decompiling, editing, and recompiling phone files. Whichever you end up deciding, follow the instructions in their source threads carefully and you should be well on your way to adding some nice, modern functionality to an aging smartphone; it’s stuff like that makes us love the Android development community as much as we do.

Source: XDA-Developers forum (Flash) (Manual)
Via: XDA-Developers