Chrome OS 78 Rolling Out With Picture-In-Picture Support For YouTube, Split Browser/Device Settings, More (9to5google.com) 15
The latest version of Chrome OS, version 78, adds separate browser and device settings, click-to-call, and picture-in-picture support for YouTube. It also introduces virtual desktop support for the operating system with a feature called Virtual Desks. 9to5Google reports: Chrome is getting another cross-device sharing feature after "Send this page" widely rolled in September. With "click-to-call," you can right-click on phone number links -- like tel:800-800-8000 -- to have them sent to your Android device. It's quicker than manually entering those digits or transferring via email. Chrome OS 78 will separate browser and device settings. The former is accessible directly at chrome://settings and what opens when clicking "Settings" at the bottom of the Overflow menu in the top-right corner of any browser window. It opens as a tab and provides web-related preferences. Meanwhile, chrome://os-settings opens as its own window, and can be accessed from the quick settings sheet. It provides device options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Assistant in a white Material Theme UI with an icon in the launcher/app shelf.
YouTube for Android now supports picture-in-picture with Chrome OS 78. After starting a video in the mobile client, switching to another window, covering, or minimizing the app will automatically open a PiP in the bottom-right corner. Available controls include switching to audio, play/pause, and skipping to the next track. In the top-left, you can expand the window and a settings gear on the other side allows you to open system settings. Tapping in the center expands and returns you to the YouTube Android app. Chrome OS 78 simplifies the printing experience by automatically listing compatible printers without any prior setup required. There are also a number of Linux on Chrome OS enhancements in this version:
- Backups of Linux apps and files can now be saved to local storage, external drive, or Google Drive. That copy can be then restored when setting up a new computer.
- Crostini GPU support will be enabled by default for a "crisp, lower-latency experience."
- You'll be warned when using a Linux app that does not support virtual keyboard in tablet mode.
YouTube for Android now supports picture-in-picture with Chrome OS 78. After starting a video in the mobile client, switching to another window, covering, or minimizing the app will automatically open a PiP in the bottom-right corner. Available controls include switching to audio, play/pause, and skipping to the next track. In the top-left, you can expand the window and a settings gear on the other side allows you to open system settings. Tapping in the center expands and returns you to the YouTube Android app. Chrome OS 78 simplifies the printing experience by automatically listing compatible printers without any prior setup required. There are also a number of Linux on Chrome OS enhancements in this version:
- Backups of Linux apps and files can now be saved to local storage, external drive, or Google Drive. That copy can be then restored when setting up a new computer.
- Crostini GPU support will be enabled by default for a "crisp, lower-latency experience."
- You'll be warned when using a Linux app that does not support virtual keyboard in tablet mode.
Is Chrome an OS or Browser? (Score:3, Interesting)
Because a lot of this stuff isn't important to me for a browser. But then again, I use Firefox.
Re: (Score:3)
Google doesn't even fucking know at this point. It's bloated malware in my eyes, and it's ruining the internet.
Re: (Score:2)
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How is that video chat, screenshot tool, and social media sharing airplane button working out for you?
Youtube Does Not Need PiP (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
"Yo Dawg, I heard you like cat videos, so I put a picture in your picture so you can watch cat videos while you watch cat videos."
Re: (Score:2)
I find it annoying. It's really a way for YouTube to keep displaying ads, to be honest.
It's annoying because at the end of a video, YouTube then plays an ad, where you click Back and the ad now plays on the previous page in a little window in the corner.
It seems to be a way to continue playing ads while you're still using the app or on the site, to make the trailer ads make some revenue
Google Chrome browser loads System Services? (Score:2)
Can Google be trusted? (Score:2)
Oh great (Score:2)
Isn't auto-play annoying enough? Do we really want to have videos as pop-ups by default?
Awesome! So 1993 (Score:2)
Virtual windows - like X Windows? X11? 1990s.
Videos open their own windows? Same timeframe.
You can parse URLs that start with "TEL:" to call a telephone number? Like any browser on a device with mobile connectivity ever since Windows Mobile 2003 (or Win/CE 2002 on a Pocket PC)? Wow.
Google, we love you, but you're no longer not evil [sorry for the double negative] and you did nothing new I see there.
E
The killer feature we *really* need: No Autoplay (Score:2)
I'm tired of having to stack multiple ad block/flashblock/autoplay blocks, only for web devs to work around them and autoplay videos anyway, burning up my mobile bandwidth or annoying me with sound.
I would be willing to pay hard money for a web browser that had the hooks for playing audio and video stripped out, such that it was physically impossible for it to play a video.
If I see an autoplay videos, I will go out of my way to *not* buy your product ever again.
PiP for Youtube in Chrome, but on iThings... (Score:2)
ChromeOS, not Chrome browser (Score:2)
Chrome OS is a Linux kernel-based operating system designed by Google. It is derived from the free software Chromium OS and uses the Google Chrome web browser as its principal user interface.
-Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]