A man reacts while trying out his new Samsung Galaxy S5 in Jakarta
A man reacts while trying out his new Samsung Galaxy S5 in Jakarta, April 11, 2014. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd estimated that its January-March operating profit fell by 4.3 percent to 8.4 trillion won ($7.96 billion) as easing smartphone sales growth continued to weigh earnings down. REUTERS/Beawiharta REUTERS/Beawiharta

Many of Samsung's devices already have the multi-window feature installed out of the box, which allows users to run multiple apps at the same time. This feature came with many TouchWiz Galaxy devices in particular, but some users are not aware of its presence or of how to use it. The guide below shows users how they can multi-task on Android using the multi-window feature.

Compatible Devices

Before trying the multi-window feature, users must first determine if their device is one of the Samsung devices preinstalled with this functionality. Only TouchWiz Galaxy devices have this feature, so earlier models automatically do not qualify. In addition, not all TouchWiz Galaxy devices have multi-window capabilities. The list of compatible devices include the later Galaxy S series phones (S3, S4 and S5); the Note II and Note 3.

Activating Multi-Window Mode

The multi-window option is available in the pull-down menu of compatible devices according to Samsung. Users simply have to drag down the pull-down menu from the top of their screen using two fingers, find the Multi-Window option, and touch it to highlight. The feature is activated when the user presses Back and sees a small arrow on the left side of the screen, which can be pulled to reveal the apps compatible with multi-window mode.

Users may move the position of the multi-window tray to their convenience. Long-press the tray, move it to the desired position, and release.

Running Multiple Windows

Open the multi-window tray and select the apps to be used by dragging the icon onto the screen. A blue overlay will appear indicating where the window will open. Users that want to view two running apps at once may do so by resizing the app screen. To do this, drag the blue dot on the split bar in the middle of the screen, and drag it up or down to resize.

Touching the blue dot also reveals a variety of options for the open windows. Users have the option to swap window position, turn on a cascading view of active apps, switch an active app to full screen, and close a selected window once they are done using the app.

Multi-Window Application Options

Finally, users have the option to edit the applications they use in multi-window mode. Just open the muti-window tray, click on More and then Edit, and an editing window will open where users can change the order of apps and add or remove apps to the tray. Remember to click Done to save the new settings.

Users may also save frequently used app pairings using the multi-window tray. While running the apps to be paired, click on More in the tray, and then Create. Name the pairing and then click OK. The new pairing will appear on the tray afterwards.