Chrome browser feature enhances multitasking capabilities on Android, thanks to Google | Tech News

Google has officially launched a new feature on its Chrome browser for Android that allows users to minimize custom tabs into a Picture-in-Picture (PiP) view. This feature aims to enhance multitasking across different surfaces and provide a more seamless transition between native apps and web content.

According to a post on the Chromium Blog page, Google stated that this new feature will improve the in-app web browsing experience for users. The PiP view of a Chrome custom tab is currently only accessible from native Android applications like Gmail and Google Chats. However, Google plans to make this feature available on other apps that use the Chrome browser to open links in the near future.

To use this feature, users need to update their Chrome browser to the latest version. When tapping on a link shared within a native Android app, such as Google Chats, users can now click on a new downward arrow button next to the back button on Chrome’s toolbar. This action will shrink the opened Chrome tab into a PiP window located at the bottom right of the screen.

While the PiP view allows users to reposition and resize the Chrome tab, it only displays the name of the page and the domain. This limitation means that users still need to maximize the window to interact with the content fully. Additionally, during testing, links from the Google Messages app did not offer the new minimize button, despite being a native Android app.

Overall, this new feature from Google aims to improve the multitasking capabilities of Android users and provide a more efficient way to navigate between apps and web content.