Google's Chrome browser has a new function for Android phones 8.0 onwards. A functionality that we have all been waiting for for a long time, to facilitate the usability and management of our smartphone.
Can you imagine being able to enjoy your online videos in a window floating around your mobile? While doing any other activity on it. This is already possible with PiP. Let's find out what this is about and how we can use it now.
What is PiP mode in Chrome for Android?
The acronyms mean Picture in Picture o screen within the screen and represents the functionality of being able to do multiple tasks on your mobile. For example, researching the meaning of a word while watching a video on YouTube or searching for an address on Google Maps while you are on a video call with a colleague.
This new feature for Android phones allows you to jump from one app to another easily, getting the most out of our screens. It will make us feel like we are operating a small computer on our smartphone.
How to use this new function for Android phones?
First of all, you must keep in mind that you need Android 8.0 Oreo and later versions to experiment with this feature. Since this is an Android feature, many of the apps are supported such as Google Maps, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix and YouTube.
To start using this function, it depends a lot on what the app is. Whether PiP is enabled by default or not, and the steps usually vary. We tell you what you should know about the most important ones:
- For WhatsApp, when you are on a video call, all you have to do is tap the "preview" on the video and you will activate the PiP.
- In VLC, you must enable the option in the application settings.
How to use PiP mode in Chrome browser
Using this mode in Chrome on your Android mobile is really simple. You just have to carry out the following steps.
- Go to the browser.
- Open the options menu, represented by the 3 vertical dots and located in the upper right.
- You will notice that there is an option that says "Site for computers" with a little box, activate it.
- The browser will update to a computer view. And that's it, now you can take advantage of the benefits of the PiP function with Chrome.
Now all that's left is to experiment with the functions...
To start, go to the video you want to play, you must put it in full screen and then touch the "home" button, which we usually find at the bottom center on Android.
You will notice that the video compresses its size into a small window, within the screen of our mobile. Here you can open any other app, navigate in another Chrome window or do whatever you want, while the video plays simultaneously.
Play a video while browsing another Chrome tab simultaneously.
Once you have your video in that mode, you can drag the box anywhere on the screen with your finger that you want to position it. When you want to close it, just drag it to the bottom of your screen, where the “delete” option will be.
And yes, this is the function that we have been waiting for so long to make our mobile phone look, more and more, like a small computer. It's time to make the most of it!