Using Chrome’s Document Picture-in-Picture API in React

The Document Picture-in-Picture (DPIP) API, an evolution of the existing Picture-in-Picture (PIP) API, offers developers enhanced capabilities by allowing any HTML content to be displayed in a separate, always-on-top window, facilitating multitasking with greater flexibility. While the PIP API is limited to showing a single video element, the DPIP API supports a wider range of content, such as text, images, and interactive elements, making it suitable for tasks like note-taking, real-time text editing, and messaging. Implementing DPIP in web applications, such as those built with React, involves more complexity than PIP, requiring developers to use the window.documentPictureInPicture.requestWindow() method and potentially manipulate the window's content dynamically. The DPIP API is currently supported by Chrome, Opera, and Edge, and presents advantages in enhancing user experience, although it may require additional development for accessibility. The article provides a detailed tutorial on integrating DPIP in a React application, comparing it with the PIP API, and highlighting its potential use cases and limitations.