Summary
- Google Chrome will automatically put YouTube videos in picture-in-picture mode when swapping tabs.
- A new setting in Chrome allows the video to pop out when a tab switch is detected.
- Users can choose to always go into picture-in-picture mode when tabbing out, or keep the old behavior.
I always like to have a YouTube video going on my second monitor while I work. However, when I need to bring something up on the second monitor, I'll pop the YouTube video in a picture-in-picture window so I can keep watching. The thing is, it gets annoying to continually pop the player in and out of the window, especially when YouTube will automatically create a picture-in-picture if you do the same thing on mobile with a Premium subscription.
Fortunately, it seems that Google has finally fixed this pesky issue. A new setting found within Chrome allows YouTube to pop the video out when it detects that you've swapped tabs, but you can still keep the old behavior if you prefer it that way.
This new Google Chrome feature is shaping up to be a productivity lifesaver
Why didn't Google think of this sooner?
Google Chrome will automatically put YouTube videos in picture-in-picture mode
This cool addition was spotted by Leopeva64 on X, who keeps tabs on everything happening on both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. This time, they spotted a new feature on the Google Chrome Canary test branch, which allows people to automatically pop out a YouTube video when they tab away from it.
By the looks of the screenshots, it seems that YouTube will ask the first time you tab away from a video. You can set it always to use picture-in-picture mode, or if you're indecisive, you can set it only to happen one time. And if you prefer the video stays hidden (for instance, you like having some ambient sounds as you play), you can tell Google Chrome to leave YouTube alone, and it'll stay within its tab, waiting for your return.
Honestly, I'm really glad that Google is still adding handy new tools to YouTube. Given how dominant the service is, there's very few video sharing services that can even hold a candle to it. Google really doesn't have to add these new features, so the fact that it is is reassuring.
The feature is still in testing, so it's not ready for the main branch just yet. However, if things go well, we should see a general release in the coming weeks. In the meantime, why not check out all of these cool new YouTube features if you haven't already?