Chrome’s latest beta version 111 has received a test version of a feature that could improve the usefulness of picture-in-picture mode. Currently, it’s only used for playing videos, but Google is considering the possibility of displaying almost any web content in a window that sits on top of other windows.

A new feature called Document Picture-in-Picture can be useful in various cases. In addition to displaying a video player or a video conference window, entire applets can appear that take advantage of the API. For example, sites will be able to display any additional information, notebook, task list or music playlist in picture-in-picture mode.

If such a possibility appears on sites, the question arises whether the developers of browsers with engines other than Chromium will provide support for it. One of the developers of this feature asked the teams related to Firefox and Safari for their position on the matter and did not receive a definitive answer. However, people on the Mozilla team expressed some concerns that this feature could be used for annoying windows, and Apple people weren’t sure if it was even possible on iOS.

According to the Chrome Platform Status tracker, the Document Picture-in-Picture feature will be tested until Chrome 115, which will be released around June. After that, the developers will analyze the received feedback and decide how to proceed.

To activate Document Picture-in-Picture support, you need to enter chrome://flags/#document-picture-in-picture-api in the address bar of the browser and select the “enabled” item in the menu.

Source: The Verge