Google is testing a Play/Pause button for Chrome's toolbar
We can see which tabs are playing audio and we can mute the tab (or the entire site). But soon, it's looking like Chrome users will get yet another measure of control over their browser's audiovisual experience.
A new Global Media Controls (GMC) feature has been switched on in Chrome Canary, Google's first line of defense for testing out changes and updates for the widely used web browser. The Canary update appears to have first been spotted by Techdows (h/t ZDNet).
The "GMC" thing is basically just a fancy name for on-demand Play/Pause controls. In its current form -- yes, this could all change before it goes live for real -- the button appears right in your toolbar, the same place you find icons for extensions like LastPass, just to the right of the URL bar.
Selecting the icon makes a pop-up window appear, showing whatever's currently playing alongside a simple set of standard media controls. The feature (as of now) works with audio and video both, and lists everything -- even if it's playing in another tab or window.
That should be welcome news if you're the sort of Chrome user that keeps 20-plus tabs open at all times. The scavenger hunt that ensues every time a rogue tab starts delivering an autoplay video without warning could soon be a thing of the past.
What's not clear is when the feature will be finished. It might be in Canary now, but it's apparently very buggy. According to the report, the current version of the feature "crashes almost all the time" whenever you try to pause a video.
That's what a testing ground like Canary is for, though. You can keep up with how things are going via the Chrome bug tracker, which ZDNet helpfully provided a link for right here.
UPDATE: July 7, 2019, 11:51 a.m. EDT An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that ZDNet first spotted this update. In fact, it was Techdows that first reported the news.
Topics Google
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
