diff --git a/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx b/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx
index c8a88de2d..f868ace43 100644
--- a/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import { themeBgAppChatComposer } from '~/common/app.theme';
 import { useFolderStore } from '~/common/state/store-folders';
 import { useIsMobile } from '~/common/components/useMatchMedia';
 import { useOptimaLayout, usePluggableOptimaLayout } from '~/common/layout/optima/useOptimaLayout';
-import { useUXLabsStore } from '~/common/state/store-ux-labs';
 
 import type { ComposerOutputMultiPart } from './components/composer/composer.types';
 import { ChatDrawerMemo } from './components/applayout/ChatDrawer';
@@ -311,24 +310,23 @@ export function AppChat() {
   const handleConversationBranch = React.useCallback((conversationId: DConversationId, messageId: string | null): DConversationId | null => {
     showNextTitle.current = true;
     const branchedConversationId = branchConversation(conversationId, messageId);
+    if (isSplitPane)
+      openSplitConversationId(branchedConversationId);
+    else
+      setFocusedConversationId(branchedConversationId);
     addSnackbar({
       key: 'branch-conversation',
       message: 'Branch started.',
       type: 'success',
       overrides: {
-        autoHideDuration: 3000,
+        autoHideDuration: 2000,
         startDecorator: <ForkRightIcon />,
       },
     });
-    const branchInAltPanel = useUXLabsStore.getState().labsSplitBranching;
-    if (branchInAltPanel)
-      openSplitConversationId(branchedConversationId);
-    else
-      setFocusedConversationId(branchedConversationId);
     return branchedConversationId;
-  }, [branchConversation, openSplitConversationId, setFocusedConversationId]);
+  }, [branchConversation, isSplitPane, openSplitConversationId, setFocusedConversationId]);
 
-  const handleConversationFlatten = (conversationId: DConversationId) => setFlattenConversationId(conversationId);
+  const handleConversationFlatten = React.useCallback((conversationId: DConversationId) => setFlattenConversationId(conversationId), []);
 
   const handleConfirmedClearConversation = React.useCallback(() => {
     if (clearConversationId) {
@@ -386,10 +384,8 @@ export function AppChat() {
   const centerItems = React.useMemo(() =>
       <ChatDropdowns
         conversationId={focusedConversationId}
-        isSplitPanes={isSplitPane}
-        onToggleSplitPanes={toggleSplitPane}
       />,
-    [focusedConversationId, isSplitPane, toggleSplitPane],
+    [focusedConversationId],
   );
 
   const drawerContent = React.useMemo(() =>
@@ -410,16 +406,19 @@ export function AppChat() {
 
   const menuItems = React.useMemo(() =>
       <ChatMenuItems
+        isMobile={isMobile}
         conversationId={focusedConversationId}
         hasConversations={!areChatsEmpty}
         isConversationEmpty={isFocusedChatEmpty}
         isMessageSelectionMode={isMessageSelectionMode}
+        isSplitPane={isSplitPane}
         setIsMessageSelectionMode={setIsMessageSelectionMode}
         onConversationBranch={handleConversationBranch}
         onConversationClear={handleConversationClear}
         onConversationFlatten={handleConversationFlatten}
+        onToggleSplitPanes={toggleSplitPane}
       />,
-    [areChatsEmpty, focusedConversationId, handleConversationBranch, handleConversationClear, isFocusedChatEmpty, isMessageSelectionMode],
+    [areChatsEmpty, focusedConversationId, handleConversationBranch, handleConversationClear, handleConversationFlatten, isFocusedChatEmpty, isMessageSelectionMode, isMobile, isSplitPane, toggleSplitPane],
   );
 
   usePluggableOptimaLayout(drawerContent, centerItems, menuItems, 'AppChat');
diff --git a/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatDropdowns.tsx b/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatDropdowns.tsx
index a924fb7c1..cd76ad8e7 100644
--- a/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatDropdowns.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatDropdowns.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,6 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 
-import { IconButton } from '@mui/joy';
-import VerticalSplitIcon from '@mui/icons-material/VerticalSplit';
-import VerticalSplitOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/VerticalSplitOutlined';
-
 import type { DConversationId } from '~/common/state/store-chats';
-import { GoodTooltip } from '~/common/components/GoodTooltip';
-import { useUXLabsStore } from '~/common/state/store-ux-labs';
 
 import { useChatLLMDropdown } from './useLLMDropdown';
 import { usePersonaIdDropdown } from './usePersonaDropdown';
@@ -15,8 +9,6 @@ import { useFolderDropdown } from './folder/useFolderDropdown';
 
 export function ChatDropdowns(props: {
   conversationId: DConversationId | null
-  isSplitPanes: boolean
-  onToggleSplitPanes: () => void
 }) {
 
   // state
@@ -24,9 +16,6 @@ export function ChatDropdowns(props: {
   const { personaDropdown } = usePersonaIdDropdown(props.conversationId);
   const { folderDropdown } = useFolderDropdown(props.conversationId);
 
-  // external state
-  const labsSplitBranching = useUXLabsStore(state => state.labsSplitBranching);
-
   return <>
 
     {/* Persona selector */}
@@ -38,18 +27,5 @@ export function ChatDropdowns(props: {
     {/* Folder selector */}
     {folderDropdown}
 
-    {/* Split Panes button */}
-    {labsSplitBranching && (
-      <GoodTooltip title={props.isSplitPanes ? 'Close Split Panes' : 'Split Conversation Vertically'}>
-        <IconButton
-          variant={props.isSplitPanes ? 'outlined' : undefined}
-          onClick={props.onToggleSplitPanes}
-          // sx={{ mx: 'auto' }}
-        >
-          {props.isSplitPanes ? <VerticalSplitIcon /> : <VerticalSplitOutlinedIcon />}
-        </IconButton>
-      </GoodTooltip>
-    )}
-
   </>;
 }
diff --git a/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatMenuItems.tsx b/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatMenuItems.tsx
index 33b9e46b5..339f404a4 100644
--- a/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatMenuItems.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/chat/components/applayout/ChatMenuItems.tsx
@@ -6,9 +6,14 @@ import CheckBoxOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/CheckBoxOutlined';
 import ClearIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Clear';
 import CompressIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Compress';
 import ForkRightIcon from '@mui/icons-material/ForkRight';
+import HorizontalSplitIcon from '@mui/icons-material/HorizontalSplit';
+import HorizontalSplitOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/HorizontalSplitOutlined';
 import SettingsSuggestIcon from '@mui/icons-material/SettingsSuggest';
+import VerticalSplitIcon from '@mui/icons-material/VerticalSplit';
+import VerticalSplitOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/VerticalSplitOutlined';
 
 import type { DConversationId } from '~/common/state/store-chats';
+import { GoodTooltip } from '~/common/components/GoodTooltip';
 import { KeyStroke } from '~/common/components/KeyStroke';
 import { useOptimaDrawers } from '~/common/layout/optima/useOptimaDrawers';
 
@@ -16,14 +21,17 @@ import { useChatShowSystemMessages } from '../../store-app-chat';
 
 
 export function ChatMenuItems(props: {
+  isMobile: boolean,
   conversationId: DConversationId | null,
   hasConversations: boolean,
   isConversationEmpty: boolean,
   isMessageSelectionMode: boolean,
+  isSplitPane: boolean
   setIsMessageSelectionMode: (isMessageSelectionMode: boolean) => void,
   onConversationBranch: (conversationId: DConversationId, messageId: string | null) => void,
   onConversationClear: (conversationId: DConversationId) => void,
   onConversationFlatten: (conversationId: DConversationId) => void,
+  onToggleSplitPanes: () => void,
 }) {
 
   // external state
@@ -64,6 +72,20 @@ export function ChatMenuItems(props: {
 
   return <>
 
+    {/* Split/Unsplit panes */}
+    <GoodTooltip title={props.isSplitPane ? 'Close Split Panes' : 'Split Conversation Vertically'}>
+      <MenuItem onClick={props.onToggleSplitPanes}>
+        <ListItemDecorator>{
+          props.isMobile
+            ? (props.isSplitPane ? <HorizontalSplitIcon /> : <HorizontalSplitOutlinedIcon />)
+            : (props.isSplitPane ? <VerticalSplitIcon /> : <VerticalSplitOutlinedIcon />)
+        }</ListItemDecorator>
+        {props.isSplitPane ? 'Unsplit' : props.isMobile ? 'Split Down' : 'Split Right'}
+      </MenuItem>
+    </GoodTooltip>
+
+    <ListDivider />
+
     {/*<ListItem>*/}
     {/*  <Typography level='body-sm'>*/}
     {/*    Conversation*/}
diff --git a/src/apps/settings-modal/UxLabsSettings.tsx b/src/apps/settings-modal/UxLabsSettings.tsx
index bd2c482f2..3611a42f4 100644
--- a/src/apps/settings-modal/UxLabsSettings.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/settings-modal/UxLabsSettings.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import * as React from 'react';
 import { FormControl, Typography } from '@mui/joy';
 import AddAPhotoIcon from '@mui/icons-material/AddAPhoto';
 import ScreenshotMonitorIcon from '@mui/icons-material/ScreenshotMonitor';
-import VerticalSplitIcon from '@mui/icons-material/VerticalSplit';
 
 import { FormLabelStart } from '~/common/components/forms/FormLabelStart';
 import { FormSwitchControl } from '~/common/components/forms/FormSwitchControl';
@@ -19,7 +18,6 @@ export function UxLabsSettings() {
   const {
     labsAttachScreenCapture, setLabsAttachScreenCapture,
     labsCameraDesktop, setLabsCameraDesktop,
-    labsSplitBranching, setLabsSplitBranching,
   } = useUXLabsStore();
 
   return <>
@@ -34,15 +32,11 @@ export function UxLabsSettings() {
       checked={labsCameraDesktop} onChange={setLabsCameraDesktop}
     />}
 
-    <FormSwitchControl
-      title={<><VerticalSplitIcon color={labsSplitBranching ? 'primary' : undefined} sx={{ mr: 0.25 }} /> Split Branching</>} description={/*'v1.6 · ' +*/ (labsSplitBranching ? 'Enabled' : 'Disabled')}
-      checked={labsSplitBranching} onChange={setLabsSplitBranching}
-    />
-
     <FormControl orientation='horizontal' sx={{ justifyContent: 'space-between', alignItems: 'center' }}>
       <FormLabelStart title='Graduated' description='Ex-labs' />
       <Typography level='body-xs'>
-        <Link href='https://github.com/enricoros/big-AGI/issues/359' target='_blank'>Draw App</Link>
+        <Link href='https://github.com/enricoros/big-AGI/issues/208' target='_blank'>Split Chats</Link>
+        {' · '}<Link href='https://github.com/enricoros/big-AGI/issues/359' target='_blank'>Draw App</Link>
         {' · '}<Link href='https://github.com/enricoros/big-AGI/issues/354' target='_blank'>Call AGI</Link>
         {' · '}<Link href='https://github.com/enricoros/big-AGI/issues/282' target='_blank'>Persona Creator</Link>
         {' · '}<Link href='https://github.com/enricoros/big-agi/issues/192' target='_blank'>Auto Diagrams</Link>
diff --git a/src/common/state/store-ux-labs.ts b/src/common/state/store-ux-labs.ts
index fbb2f6ae8..a518ba1c0 100644
--- a/src/common/state/store-ux-labs.ts
+++ b/src/common/state/store-ux-labs.ts
@@ -18,9 +18,6 @@ interface UXLabsStore {
   labsCameraDesktop: boolean;
   setLabsCameraDesktop: (labsCameraDesktop: boolean) => void;
 
-  labsSplitBranching: boolean;
-  setLabsSplitBranching: (labsSplitBranching: boolean) => void;
-
 }
 
 export const useUXLabsStore = create<UXLabsStore>()(
@@ -33,9 +30,6 @@ export const useUXLabsStore = create<UXLabsStore>()(
       labsCameraDesktop: false,
       setLabsCameraDesktop: (labsCameraDesktop: boolean) => set({ labsCameraDesktop }),
 
-      labsSplitBranching: false,
-      setLabsSplitBranching: (labsSplitBranching: boolean) => set({ labsSplitBranching }),
-
     }),
     {
       name: 'app-ux-labs',