Mozilla Firefox enables Picture in Picture feature in Nightly on Windows

Mozilla finally enabled Picture in Picture feature for Videos in Firefox Nightly on Windows by default and you can test the feature right away and see how the feature works when compared to Chrome Picture in Picture.

We’ve reported Picture in Picture mode is available in Nightly and later informed you about the un-pip button and other video controls Mozilla added to PiP video player.

Picture in Picture mode is Enabled in Firefox Nightly

No introduction is necessary about Picture-in-Picture feature as you’ve seen it in Televisions and smartphones, the feature when activated allows to watch video on top of other application windows, can be resized and positioned on anywhere on the screen, useful for multitaskers.

Google added PiP to Chrome recently on desktop, Mozilla now brought to Firefox on Windows, which is in Nightly for now. To get a hands-on it,

1. Ensure you’re using latest Firefox Nightly on Windows
2. Visit YouTube, play any video, right click on it and select “Picture-in-Picture” option
3. The video will be played in a mini window on right side of the screen at the bottom which you can move, resize and stick it anywhere on your screen.

The PiP mode offers un-PiP button to go back to the original video, and Pause/play controls. The feature can be toggled by selecting the option in the Video context menu. Firefox shows “this video is playing in Picture in Picture mode” message in the main video window that is playing in PiP player.

Update: We’ve missed the blue Picture in Picture button, you no longer need to right click on video and select option, just hover your mouse over video and icon appears  attached to right edge of video window, which Opera also shows for their Video Pop Out feature, but not Chrome. click on it, you’ve entered PiP mode.

Tip: Like in Chrome, you can play local videos in Picture in Picture Mode in Firefox.

Picture in Picture Web API

Do note, Picture in Picture for Video has not based on Picture in Picture Web API that Chrome uses. Though Mozilla has shown interest in Chome PiP initially, it has developed the feature on its own.

When we asked about this to Mozilla’s Mike Conley who announced about the feature availability in Nightly, he said:” Using this as a starting point, putting the user in control first, we’ll see where we go from here”.

I do think Google APIs and features are not in control of Mozilla and sometimes they may stop working or break in Firefox, it’s good they realized that now.