Google is working on a new Chrome beta, version 111, that will include a document picture-in-picture feature, as reported by The Verge.

US-IT-SAN FRANCISCO-GOOGLE-DEVELOPER CONFERENCE
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Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome, speaks at Google's annual developer conference, Google I/O, in San Francisco on June 28, 2012.

The feature will be in a trial version that will make it more useful by letting it display any web content in a floating window that stays on top of all other windows. 

Document Picture-in-Picture (PiP)

Most PiP windows will only let you play.pause, go "Back to tab" or close it. Now with the new document API, it will be possible open an always-on-top window that can be populated with arbitrary HTML content. Therefore, custom buttons and video controls may be used. 

The API can also combine multiple streams into a single PiP, while possible buttons will include sending a message, muting another user or raising a hand. 

Tomodoro has also used its more advanced PiP capabilities by creating a pomodoro tool. 

The new feature will be trialed until Chrome 115, which will likely be released in June. Then, developers will likely consider any feedback they receive on the feature and decide how to move forward. 

Also Read: Google Chrome 100 Update Releases New Icon for Desktop, Mobile | What's New

Turning On Support for the Feature

How to Stay Safe Using Google Chrome Browser in 10 Easy Steps [2022]
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You can enable the flag by pasting chrome://flags/#document-picture-in-picture API into your URL bar. Then choose "enabled" from the drop-down many. 

However, it's likely that not a lot of sites support this, but it's still possible that you will come across some. 

Better Google Chrome Browser

Indeed, the search giant continues to make improvements to its browser. Recently, users can lock incognito tabs to the Chrome browser for iOS. It will soon be available to Android users soon. 

When active, users need their fingerprints to resume a private browsing session, making the surfing experience more secure. 

Also, the public release of Chrome 110 earlier this month doesn't support Windows 7 or Windows 8 / 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2. This also follows Microsoft's decision to end security updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8 / 8.1 on January 10th earlier this year. 

This is also the first version of Google's browser to require Windows 10 or later. In addition, the release of Chrome 110 is the start of Chrome's new release cycle, which will now include an early stable preview of future updates a week before the full scheduled stable release date. 

Also, those who are still using an outdated version of Windows may need to physically upgrade their existing machine to support an update to Windows 11 or purchase a new computer or laptop stay protected online. Microsoft is also planning to end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. 

Related Article: Google Chrome Journeys Feature: How to Use it to See ENTIRE Search History in Categories

April Fowell

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