Firefox might get support for multiple Picture-in-Picture windows

[Karlston]

Firefox might get support for multiple Picture-in-Picture windows

Mozilla is considering adding support for multiple picture-in-picture (pip) support to the organization's Firefox web browser. Picture-in-Picture mode enables users to launch playing videos in the browser in independent windows that can be moved around the screen.

 

The feature may be useful to users who like to view videos while doing something else on their systems. While that is possible using different methods as well, e.g. by using multiple monitor setups or reducing the size of the browser window, it is an elegant solution for some.

 

 

Major browsers such as Chrome or Firefox support picture-in-picture modes; Firefox users may select the PIP icon that is displayed when a video plays in the browser to launch the video in a separate window. Chrome uses a similar methodology, and both browsers limit the mode to a single video instance currently.

 

Mozilla is thinking about lifting the limitation to allow multiple picture-in-picture instances instead of a single one. The feature landed in Firefox Nightly already, but it is disabled by default.

 

Note that the feature should be considered experimental at this point, and that it is possible that it will be removed at any point in time before it is available in stable Firefox.

Control Firefox's multi picture-in-picture mode feature

 

 

Here is what you need to do to enable the feature right now (or disable it should it be enabled by default in the future):

1. Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
2. Confirm the warning if it is displayed.
3. Use the search at the top to find firefox-media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.allow-multiple.
4. Double-click on the name or use the value toggle at the right to change its state.

Multiple picture-in-picture mode is enabled if the preference is set to TRUE, and disabled if it is set to FALSE.

 

All it takes then is to go to YouTube or another supported video site in multiple tabs, and activate the PIP button in each of the tabs to launch picture-in-picture windows.

 

Will it be used?

 

Mozilla admits that it does not "fully understand the use cases" for running multiple picture-in-picture windows, but that some users seem to request the feature.

 

There are a handful of applications for this if you ask me. Think of watching multiple live events next to each other, e.g. multiple football games, or footage from the same even but with different camera angles.

 

It may not be a feature that is useful to the majority of users out there, but it is probably of use to some.

 

Firefox 84 Stable is scheduled for a December 15, 2020 release.

 

 

Firefox might get support for multiple Picture-in-Picture windows

 

[steven36]

I never  understood the need for Picture-in-Picture windows   it only work  inside  it's own tab   on the site it be on , a normal   window  work inside it own tab just the same  . Only  it work on YouTube or something  to listen to music while you browse around  the site  but  you cant minimize  it like you can a web app  for YouTube Music they have 1000s of playlist  you can just push play and listen  for hours  and just minimize your web app I don't know  if  windows have Youtube Music app  or not?   I made my own with ICE  SSB on Linux  Ubuntu  18.04 LTs and Linux Mint makes  a fork of it for OSes for  Ubuntu 20.04 LTS  same as my  web apps  i made  based on a few Russian music sites  they have whole albums and  playlist you just press  play and they will play all songs in Que.  If its not a stand alone app i see  no real benefit in it .