ChatGPT + YouTube in Split View on iPad

Watching a tutorial on YouTube while figuring out what the presenter actually means is one of the most common things people do on an iPad — and one of the most annoying to set up every time. You start the video, then swipe over to ChatGPT to ask a question, then swipe back, lose your place, and repeat. Running both apps in Split View fixes the swiping. Making that Split View a single tap fixes the setup.

Why this pair works side by side

ChatGPT and YouTube cover two halves of the same task: the video shows you how, and ChatGPT answers the why and the what if. Keeping them in view at the same time means you never have to pause your train of thought to go hunting for the other app.

A few workflows where this combination earns its place:

• Following a coding or software tutorial. Keep the video playing on one side, paste an error message or a confusing step into ChatGPT on the other, and get an explanation without scrubbing back through the video.
• Studying a topic from scratch. Watch an overview video, then ask ChatGPT to quiz you, summarize, or rephrase the parts that went too fast.
• Cooking, repairs, or hobbies. Play the how-to video and ask ChatGPT to convert measurements, suggest substitutions, or clarify a tool you don't recognize.

The point isn't that either app is hard to open. It's that the combination is what you actually use, and iPadOS treats them as two unrelated apps every single time.

Setting it up as a one-tap shortcut

This takes about five minutes once, and then it's permanent.

1. In Splicon, search for ChatGPT and YouTube and select them as a pair.
2. Splicon generates a clean side-by-side icon from both app icons. Save it to Photos.
3. Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut that opens ChatGPT and YouTube in Split View.
4. In the shortcut settings, choose Add to Home Screen, then tap the icon image and pick the Splicon icon you saved.
5. Place it on your Home Screen.

From now on, one tap launches both apps already split. No dragging from the Dock, no nudging the divider.

Why the icon matters

If you only ever make one Split View shortcut, an emoji is fine. The trouble starts at three or four — a row of shortcuts with random emojis tells you nothing about which pair is which. A side-by-side icon built from the real app icons means you can read your Home Screen at a glance, the same way you read every other app on it. That's the whole reason Splicon exists.