Making it more than just a video box
One way to boost the functionality of the best web browsers is to utilize little tricks like picture-in-picture browsing — in nearly all cases, you’d be watching YouTube or a Twitch live stream while browsing another page. But there’s more that PiP can do and Google seems keen on expanding Chrome’s box-in-a-box capabilities.
Google is experimenting with a new PiP feature that will enable Chrome to open any web content in an always-on-top window. The trial feature has been spotted in the latest beta version of Chrome (version 111), and the company is currently gathering feedback on its design (via The Verge).
The internet giant says site devs will be empowered by what it calls Document Picture-in-Picture as they’ll be able to do anything from injecting custom icons into playback controls to almost anything you can slap on top with HTML code.
Video conferencing programs could make use of this expanded PiP interface by, perhaps, letting users send text replies during a call, mute another user, or raise a hand without having to return to the original window. That said, these are mostly variations on how PiP already displays videos in a smaller window. Google Meet already supports PiP mode in Chrome, though there isn’t much you can do with it right now. The potential feature could be a lot more useful if it lets you open your Google Keep notes, for example.
If you’re eager to try this feature, you can enable the following flag: chrome://flags/#document-picture-in-picture-api. You won’t see much, though, unless the websites you’re visiting are testing things out for themselves..
Google expects to run the trial through Chrome 115, the release of which is scheduled for September 8. There’s no guarantee that Document PiP will become public, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited about a feature as seemingly simple as the ability to view almost anything in a tiny window while doing something else on your device. Heck, take video out of the equation and see what it can do.
