Google is working on a feature in Chrome that makes stopping videos and audio easier
Ok, this is nice (in theory).

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Google is testing out some new functionality in Chrome browsers that should make starting and stopping videos and other annoyances easier.
According to ZDNet, the ‘Global Media Controls’ feature was enabled this week for Chrome Canary users to start testing out.
More about Google’s new Global Media Controls feature in Chrome Canary
As mentioned above, the feature was added into the experimental section of Google Chrome this week and allows for more control over your media playback while using Google Chrome.
- The experimental feature works across tabs for both audio and video
- Extremely useful for sites that contain auto-playing videos
- As of now, the feature is still buggy and crashes quite often (which is why it’s in testing)
- The test feature doesn’t work on all sites currently (again, due in part to testing)
Overall, even with its issues, the feature definitely seems promising – especially for those of us that like to have a bunch of tabs open all at once. I wouldn’t expect too much out of the feature at present, however. After some basic testing, the GMC caused my browser to crash multiple times.
How to try the Global Media Controls out for yourself
If you want to try the new feature out for yourself, here’s how:
- Download and/or update Chrome Canary
- Put Chrome://flags in your address bar
- You’re going to search for the word Global in order to find the Global Media Controls
- Enable the feature
That’s it, you’ve now enabled the Global Media Controls. Remember, as with most things in Google Canary, this feature is currently in testing so you are bound to encounter some issues while using.
What do you think? Interesting in this new feature that could come to Google Chrome? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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