Google Chrome version 105 arrived on August 30, 2022. This latest release gains better picture-in-picture support for Android, more tools for web apps to feel native, and some under-the-hood goodies.
Picture-in-Picture for Chrome on Android
Google Chrome on the desktop has supported picture-in-picture videos for a long time. Now, the API is finally coming to Android devices with version 105.
Picture-in-picture has been possible in Chrome for Android by simply exiting to the home screen. However, the API will make it easier and more obvious to pop out a video to PiP. It will be up to web developers to implement it on their websites.
Windows Controls for Web Apps
Google has been working on making progressive web apps (PWAs) feel more like native apps. Chrome 97 made it possible for web apps to put elements in the window’s top title bar. Version 105 is expanding on that.
Not only can web apps put things like a search bar in the title bar, they can now customize the controls, too. That means web apps can create their own close, minimize, and maximize buttons, and add any controls to the title bar area.
Windows 11-Style Window Tiling on Chrome OS
Window management is an area where Chromebooks have lagged behind Windows PCs, especially with the new options in Windows 11. Chrome OS 105 includes an experimental feature that is very similar to Windows 11’s implementation.
The feature is currently behind a flag in the Developer channel, but when enabled, you can snap windows to a 50/50 split, thirds, full, or floating. You can simply hover over the maximize/minimize button to see the layouts. Find the flag at chrome://flags/#partial-split .
What Else Is New?
Play Video
Chrome 105 is a little light on the big, splashy features, but that’s okay. There’s still a lot happening under the surface, though. You can read about many of these changes on Google’s developer site as well as on the Chromium blog. We’ll highlight a few changes here:
The new Custom Highlight API makes it possible for websites to style things like the Ctrl + F “Find” tool. Container Queries allow developers to style elements according to the size of a container element, which makes them much more responsive to changes on the page. The :has() pseudo class specifies an element having at least one element that matches the relative selector passed as an argument. Fetch Upload Streaming lets web developers make a fetch with a ReadableStream body. Chrome 105 enhances the screen label strings provided by the Multi-Screen Window Placement API.
How to Update Google Chrome
Chrome will automatically install the update on your device when it’s available. To immediately check for and install any available updates, click the three-dot menu icon and click Help > About Google Chrome.
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