Picture in picture
Rio's picture in picture keeps a video in view when you leave its tab. Switch away from a tab with a video playing with sound, and the video moves into a floating window. Come back and it returns to the page. It is on by default; Settings, Advanced turns it off. Rio is a free, open-source browser for Mac.
A talk in the corner
You are watching a conference talk and need to check a ticket in Linear. Click the Linear tab. The talk keeps playing in a floating window over everything, and you keep listening while you work. When the speaker gets to the demo, click the button in the floating window that takes you back to the tab, or click the talk's tab in the sidebar. The video returns to the page.
When a video pops out
Rio uses Chromium's automatic picture in picture and turns it on for every site by default. A video moves into a floating window when:
- it is playing with sound, and
- its tab stops showing, because you clicked another tab, switched tabs with the keyboard or opened a page from the command bar.
Go back to the tab and the floating window closes as the video returns to the page.
Some videos stay put:
- Muted videos and very small videos, such as a looping clip in an ad or a header.
- Videos on sites that turn picture in picture off.
- A video in a split view, while you work in the other pane. Both panes count as showing.
Sound from tabs you cannot see
When a tab you are not looking at plays sound, a slim media bar appears in the sidebar. It follows the tab that started playing most recently:
- Its icon takes you back to that tab.
- Previous and next go to the page's own previous and next track.
- The middle button pauses and plays.
- The last button mutes the tab.
Cmd+Shift+M mutes or unmutes the tab you are on.
Playing tabs are never archived
Rio archives Today tabs you have not opened for a while. A tab that is playing sound or showing in picture in picture is never archived while it does, so your podcast does not vanish halfway through. See Today tabs.
Turning it off
Open Settings, Advanced, and switch off Enable Picture in Picture when you leave a video tab. The media bar stays.
Questions
When does a video pop out?
When a video is playing with sound and its tab stops showing: you click another tab, switch tabs with the keyboard, or open a page from the command bar. Go back to the tab and the video returns to the page.
Which videos stay in the page?
Muted videos, very small videos and videos whose site turns picture in picture off. In a split view, a video in one pane keeps playing in place while you work in the other pane.
How do I turn it off?
Open Settings, Advanced, and switch off Enable Picture in Picture when you leave a video tab.
What is the bar that appears in the sidebar?
The media bar. When a tab you cannot see plays sound, it gives you that tab's controls: its icon takes you back to the tab, and its buttons skip back, play or pause, skip ahead and mute.
Sources
- Rio source, the picture in picture switch in Settings, Advanced (AdvancedPane.tsx)
- Rio source, picture in picture on by default (settings.ts)
- Rio source, the sidebar media bar (MediaCard.tsx)
- Rio source, Mute or Unmute Tab on Cmd+Shift+M (commands/tabs.ts)
- Rio source code on GitHub, including the picture in picture rules and the archive rules
