Gmail + Google Calendar Split View on iPad Guide

You can use Gmail and Google Calendar together in iPad Split View by opening either app, swiping up from the Dock to grab the other, and dragging it to the left or right edge of the screen until Split View activates.

Once you have them side by side, the combination turns out to be one of the most practical pairings on iPad — not just a novelty. Email and calendar are deeply connected in daily work, and having both visible at once removes the constant context-switching that breaks concentration.

Why Gmail and Google Calendar work so well together

The core reason this pair earns its screen space: scheduling decisions live inside email threads. When you read an email in Gmail, you almost always need your calendar to act on it. Jumping back and forth between apps means losing your place, forgetting details, or opening the wrong thread when you return.

Real workflows where the split pays off:

• Scheduling a meeting from an email thread. Someone proposes three time slots in a message. With Gmail on the left and Google Calendar on the right, you check your availability, compare the proposed times against existing blocks, and reply with your answer — all without leaving either app.
• Preparing for the day ahead. In the morning, scan your calendar on the right to see what's coming, then work through emails on the left that relate to those events — briefings, agendas, pre-read documents — so you arrive at each meeting actually prepared.
• Following up after a meeting. Your calendar event notes on the right jog your memory on what was discussed; you draft and send follow-up emails on the left while the details are still in front of you.

None of these workflows are complicated. They just require both apps to be visible at the same time.

How to set it up with Splicon

The friction with Split View is that iPadOS doesn't let you save a specific two-app combination as a shortcut. Every time you want Gmail and Google Calendar side by side, you have to rebuild it manually. Splicon solves that by letting you create a dedicated Home Screen icon that launches the pair directly.

If you haven't installed it yet, Download Splicon free from the App Store.

1. Open Splicon and search for Gmail and Google Calendar. Select them as your pair — you can choose which app appears on which side.
2. Pick a split style for the icon and generate it. When it looks right, save the icon image to your Photos library.
3. Open the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut, and add an "Open App" action configured to open the pair in Split View. When prompted to choose an icon, select the image you just saved from Photos.
4. Add the shortcut to your Home Screen using the shortcut's settings menu. It will appear as a tappable icon alongside your other apps.

From that point on, one tap opens Gmail and Google Calendar in Split View exactly as you configured them — no dragging, no hunting through the Dock.

A note on screen size

Split View works best on iPad Pro and iPad Air, where each app gets enough horizontal space to be fully usable. On smaller iPads, both apps are functional in the split but slightly cramped. If you find the layout tight, try rotating to landscape orientation — it gives each panel noticeably more room.