Skip to main content

Chrome’s picture-in-picture mode for videos is expected to arrive next month

Google is testing a new browser feature that will make it easier for Chrome users to multitask and watch web videos at the same time by allowing video content to play in a pop-out window on your desktop. While it was currently possible to activate picture-in-picture mode for videos in a Google beta build for Chrome, the feature is expected to arrive for all users with the release of Chrome 69. Picture-in-picture mode is expected to arrive on September 4, according to HTNovo.

“With the latest update that brought Chrome 69 to the Official Build 69.0.3497.57, the picture-in-picture mode for playing videos has been moved to the default state,” a Google translation of HTNovo’s report reads. “This means that even on stable Chrome it will be possible to view videos being played in a corner of the desktop, navigating between different pages from the original one, without having to act in advance in any setting (regular or experimental).”

Recommended Videos

The picture-in-picture mode will be based on a W3C API, according to gHacks. At this time, if you use Google’s more experimental Chrome-based browser called Canary, you can currently enable this new mode. Picture-in-picture is expected with the release of Chrome 69 Stable.

Image credit: gHacks. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Chrome users will be able to activate picture-in-picture mode by double-clicking directly inside the video and choosing picture-in-picture from the contextual menu. After that’s done, the video will appear in a pop-out window, and users can move and re-size the video frame. The video window will act independently of the main browser window.

“The new picture-in-picture API works on the majority of sites by default; website publishers may utilize it to customize the picture-in-picture experience on their sites; it is possible to change the size of the picture-in-picture interface, customize controls, add restrictions, or use it to gather statistical data,” gHacks reported.

The video window will also have the regular media keys for play, pause, and close, and should work in a similar way to how the YouTube app handles picture-in-picture on modern Android phones.

The Chrome 69 update is expected to be a big update for Google. Some recently reported features from this build include the ability to integrate Chrome notifications in Windows 10’s Action Center and a refreshed look with an updated Material Design language.

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Google Chrome may start resurfacing tabs from your other devices
Google Chrome browser running on Android Automotive in a car.

Google has announced that it is currently "experimenting" with a feature that suggests pages to you based on open tabs from other devices. Chrome is already handy at picking up where you left off on other devices through tab syncing. To bolster this seamless handoff between devices, this potential new feature will serve up these tabs.

Google didn't detail exactly how this would look, but the blog post reads that it would "proactively suggest pages" on the Chrome New Tab page. Right now, this page is filled with quick links to your most viewed websites and hand-picked shortcuts. For what it's worth, to me this seems like a convenient place to put these tabs.

Read more
Google Chrome has its own version of Window’s troubled Recall feature
google chrome version of recall blog header

Google has announced a number of AI features for the Chrome web browser, one of which can search through your browsing history using plain language. It's a bit like a toned-down version of Microsoft's Recall feature, which did this on the level of the entire operating system.

The example given entails typing the following question into your search history: "What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?" Chrome will then dig through and pull up sites relevant to your question. It'll then suggest a website as the "AI Best Match."

Read more
Why even Chrome devotees should give the Arc web browser a shot
The Arc web browser running on macOS Ventura, showing an Easel with live snippets listing temperatures in New York and flights there from London.

Google Chrome is one of the best browsers you can get, and its popularity among internet users is absolutely unrivaled. But there’s a new kid on the block called Arc that aims to steal some of Google’s thunder.

We’ve written about it before, and Arc is an intriguing web browser for a whole host of reasons. But should you ditch Chrome for Arc? That’s what we’re hoping to answer in this guide. Here, we’ve compared the two browsers across a range of metrics, from design and features to performance and security. If you’re not sure which browser is best for you, read on to find out.
Design
Arc features a Split View mode that lets you view multiple tabs side-by-side. Alex Blake / Digital Trends

Read more