Google continues to improve the Chrome Tab Search feature. Recently we reported, it lets you find tabs even if you’ve typed typos with fuzzy search, Chrome team is now working to add indicators to audio and video tabs in tab search that play media.
Tab Search in Chrome
Features:
With many tabs open in Chrome, finding the tab you’re looking for can be a daunting task. Google introduced Tab Search as one of the features to address this. The feature allows you to quickly look through open and recently closed tabs.
- By using the shortcut Ctrl+Shit+A on Windows or when you click on the down arrow or top right corner of the window, you’ll get the focused tab in the list.
- Apart from searching, you can close tabs easily from the Tab Search interface as well.
- Useful also to find and close duplicate tabs.
- To the latest, Tab Search shows tabs even if you type typos, thanks to Fizzy Search.
Now, Google is looking to ensure Chrome displays indicators on tab search items when the tabs containing media are playing audio or video or using a webcam.
“Manage media tabs in tab search and helps users find the tabs contain media”, the company notes in the feature bug report.
Enable indicators for Media Tabs in Tab Search in Chrome browser
- Launch Chrome browser
- Visit chrome://flags
- Search for”media tabs”, in the dropdown for “Tab Search Media Tabs“, select “Enabled” and restart the browser.
The experimental feature is available in Chrome for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS.
The feature is currently working. From the screenshot below, you can notice, Tab Search showing indicators for tabs playing YouTube Video, Video Call on Google Meet, and Audio song on the SoundCloud website under “Audio & Video” in the Tab Search interface..
When you click or select respective media indicators in Tab Search, you’ll be switched to that particular tab in the Chrome browser.
The feature is currently being tested in Chrome 98 Canary. According to Chrome Platform Status, Chrome 98 will reach the stable and might be available to the public on Feb 1, 2022.
Chrome already comes with Global Media Controls to manage music playing in the browser and live captions. The browser with a site muting feature doesn’t natively show indicators for video/audio playing tabs to mute with a single click.
This could be a welcome addition, where you still need to search for tabs that play media in tab search, and indicators will be there to help you switch or close those tabs.
What do you say about this feature? Do you use Tab Search? Have you found it useful? Let us know in the comments below
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