Multi-Screen on Apple: What Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Vision Pro and the Mac Can Do, Plus a Multi-Screen App for Mac

Apple's own Multiview works for Apple TV sports only, on devices such as Apple TV 4K, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, and the Mac isn't on Apple's list. Nothing built into macOS plays three or more videos from different sources in one window. If you want that, you need a multi-screen app for Mac, and this post compares what each Apple device does before showing one.

One quick disambiguation. If you mean connecting extra displays to a Mac, that's hardware, and Apple's guide is Connect displays to your Mac. This post is about showing several videos at once, on one screen or across Apple devices.

Multi-screen on Apple, device by device

Here is the short version, built from Apple's own support pages. Each row is detailed in the sections below.

Apple TV Multiview: what it shows, and whether it can mix apps

Per Apple's tvOS guide, "Multiview requires Apple TV 4K with tvOS 16.5 or later, plus a subscription to Apple TV." It shows "up to four live sports streams at the same time," and it is "available only for sports events that come with your Apple TV subscription," including MLS, Formula 1 in the U.S. and Friday Night Baseball doubleheaders.

For F1 you can choose a preset team Multiview "or build your own from multiple F1 feeds, including driver-view cameras, course maps, and more." We wrote up the idea of building your own multiview on a Mac across services, which is a different thing: Apple's version stays inside Apple TV's own sports.

On mixing apps, nothing Apple publishes describes combining streams from different apps in Multiview. Apple's March 5, 2026 newsroom post says Multiview is "available on supported devices, including Apple TV 4K, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro," and F1 TV Premium is "included at no additional cost for subscribers," with up to four live feeds at once. The Mac isn't on that list, though the list isn't described as exhaustive. F1 in the Apple TV app is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Vision Pro and Mac, among others, so you can watch it on a Mac. Apple just doesn't list Multiview for it.

That's a gap in Apple's documentation, not proof either way, so treat Multiview as an Apple TV sports feature.

Picture in Picture on Apple TV 4K is the nearest thing to mixing. The guide says it lets you "browse content, open other apps, or select another item to play simultaneously," and that it "may not be available in all apps."

iPad and iPhone: tiles, Split View and Picture in Picture

The iPad is the most flexible Apple screen for windows. You can use Windowed Apps or Stage Manager, and resize windows by dragging the corner handle, per Apple's multiple windows page. The layout page says to drag an app on top of a full-screen app to tile two side by side, and that Slide Over keeps one window on top. Picture in Picture "works with supported apps and videos," per Apple. Apple gives no window-count limit in these pages, and the iPad is on the F1 Multiview list.

Apple's pages describe these as ways to work with several apps at once, not as a way to play several videos together.

The iPhone is simpler. Picture in Picture lets you "watch a video or use FaceTime while you use other apps," per the iPhone User Guide. The same guide has a page on opening two apps in Split View on iPhone Duo.

Multiview on iPhone is a rumor with a source. MacRumors reported on October 26, 2026 that "iOS 27.2 expands Multiview in the Apple TV app to the iPhone, so users can watch up to four live sports streams." Apple's iOS 27 update notes don't list it, so treat it as unconfirmed.

Vision Pro: five streams

Apple Vision Pro has the highest stated count. Apple's Vision Pro guide says you can "watch up to 5 live sports streams at the same time," from the same eligible sports as Apple TV. It's a spatial computer, so the windows float around you, but the limit is the same as on other devices: Apple's sports, not any video you like.

Mac: Split View, tiling, Stage Manager and Picture in Picture

The Mac has the most window tools and the fewest video ones. Each does one job.

• Split View. Lets you "work in two apps side by side at the same time," per Apple's Mac User Guide.
• Window tiling. Drag a window to a screen edge for a suggested tiled position, or use Fn-Control-Arrow keys, per Apple.
• Stage Manager. Keeps "the app you're working with front and center," per Apple.
• Safari Picture in Picture. Plays video "in a movable window that 'floats' on top of everything else," per Safari's guide.
• Apple TV app Picture in Picture. "A resizable small viewer that runs in the foreground," per the TV app guide. It isn't on Apple's Multiview device list.

Our split-screen guide has the how-to for the built-in tools. The gap is plain: nothing built into macOS plays three or more videos from different sources in one window, with one place to control the sound. You can stack browser windows, but each one plays its own audio.

A multi-screen app for Mac: Plush in eight screenshots

We make Plush, a multi-screen video player for Mac that plays content from the web, local files, and Apple Music. Its Mac App Store listing is titled "Plush Media Player — Multi Screen Video." Here is what it does, one screenshot at a time, with what's free and what's Plush Pro marked on each. The pictures show sample content, not live broadcasts.

Any content, one view

Each tile holds a local file, a website or Apple Music. Up to three tiles are free.

Eight at once

Eight tiles is Plush Pro. The free version stops at three.

Grid, Hero or Split

Grid, the even split, is free. So is Split, new in Plush 1.6: one big tile on the left, half the width by default and adjustable from 25 to 75 percent, with the rest in a grid beside it. It was made for an ultrawide monitor. Hero is Plush Pro: the selected tile takes 65 percent by default, adjustable from 30 to 85.

Adjustable sizes

Free. Drag a seam to resize, with a 120-point minimum, and double-click a seam to reset it.

Focus mode

Free, and the default. Sound follows your pointer, and a double-click locks audio to a tile with an accent glow. Adaptive and Chaos are Plush Pro: Adaptive plays the focused tile at full volume and the rest at an ambient level, 15 percent by default, and Chaos plays every tile at full volume.

Custom viewing

Picture modes, accent colors and Pin on Top are free. Open the sidebar with ⌘\, and press ⇧⌘P to float the window over other apps. Hero, Adaptive and Chaos need Plush Pro.

Saved sessions

The App Store calls them templates; in the app they're saved sessions. Named sessions are Plush Pro, and they store tile count, layout, sound mode, ambient level, each tile's address and volume, and split positions. Restore Last Session is free.

Shuffle mode

Folder playback (in order or shuffled) and Shuffle This Site are Plush Pro.

Free vs Plush Pro

Plush is free on the Mac App Store. Plush Pro is a one-time $2.99 purchase with no subscription.

Set up three tiles in a couple of minutes

The free version is enough to try the idea. You don't need an account, and it needs macOS 14 or later.

1. Install Plush. It's free on the Mac App Store.
2. Fill a tile. Click an empty tile and choose Local Files, Website or Apple Music. Put a video file in one, a site in another and a playlist in the third.
3. Choose who talks. Sound starts in Focus mode, so only the tile under your pointer plays. Double-click a tile to lock the audio to it, and press M to mute everything.
4. Change the shape. Open the sidebar with ⌘\ for layout and sound, add a tile with ⌘T, and drag a seam to give one tile more room.
5. Keep it. Restore Last Session, which is free, brings back your most recent layout. With Plush Pro you can save named sessions.

What Plush doesn't do

We want to be exact. Plush isn't a replacement for Apple's Multiview, and it doesn't unlock anything. For a paid streaming service, a tile loads the site the way Safari does, and the service decides what plays. Plush has no DRM code of its own and uses WebKit, so a service that relies on Widevine alone can't play in any WebKit view, Safari included. If one won't play in a tile, keep that one in its own Safari window beside Plush.

Account stream limits still apply, so four tiles on one service count as four streams. Plush doesn't offer Picture in Picture. Tiles resize by dragging the seams, and you rearrange them by dragging one tile onto another to swap the two (website tiles in Video Mode). It also doesn't block ads. What it does well is narrow: put several things in one window, and let one of them talk at a time.

Which one should you use?

• Apple TV sports in the living room: use Multiview on Apple TV 4K.
• Two apps side by side on a Mac or iPad: Split View or tiling. They're free and built in.
• One video floating over your work: Picture in Picture.
• Several streams or files from different sources, one place for sound: a multi-screen app. Our comparison of Mac multi-screen players covers the options, and Plush's multi-screen page has the details.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a multi-screen app for Mac?

Yes. Plush Media Player plays up to three tiles from the web, local files, and Apple Music in one window for free, and up to eight with Plush Pro. Other options exist, and our comparison post covers them. macOS itself has Split View for two apps, but no built-in multi-video player.

Can Apple TV Multiview show different apps?

Nothing Apple publishes describes mixing streams from different apps in Multiview. Apple describes it as up to four live sports streams from events included with your Apple TV subscription, on Apple TV 4K with tvOS 16.5 or later.

Does the Apple TV app on Mac have Multiview?

The Mac isn't on Apple's Multiview list, which names Apple TV 4K, iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Apple TV app on Mac does have Picture in Picture, a resizable small viewer that runs in the foreground.

Can an iPhone do split screen?

Apple's iPhone User Guide has a page on opening two apps in Split View on iPhone Duo. Otherwise, iPhone multitasking is mostly Picture in Picture, which lets you watch a video while you use other apps.

Is there Multiview on iPhone?

MacRumors reported on October 26, 2026 that iOS 27.2 expands Multiview in the Apple TV app to the iPhone, with up to four live sports streams. Apple's iOS 27 update notes don't list it, so it's unconfirmed.

How many videos can a Mac play at once?

Apple doesn't publish a number for the Mac as a whole. Split View shows two apps side by side. Plush shows up to three tiles free, or eight with Plush Pro, in one window.

Is Plush free?

Yes. It is free on the Mac App Store with up to 3 tiles, the Grid and Split layouts and Focus sound. Plush Pro is a one-time $2.99 in-app purchase with no subscription. It adds up to 8 tiles, Hero layout, Adaptive and Chaos sound, time sync, folder playback and shuffle, and named saved sessions.

Plush Media Player is free on the Mac App Store, and Plush Pro is a one-time $2.99 with no subscription and no account. Put three videos in one window and see how it feels.