from Hacker News

Show HN: AutoPiP – Safari extension for automatic Picture-in-Picture mode

by whatsthatabout on 11/27/24, 10:36 AM with 15 comments

AutoPiP is a Safari extension that automatically enables Picture-in-Picture mode when switching tabs and disables it when returning to the video tab. No clicks needed - just seamless multitasking while watching videos.

Key features: • Automatic PiP activation when switching tabs • Smart detection for active videos only • Seamless disable on tab return • Zero configuration needed

GitHub: https://github.com/vordenken/AutoPiP

  • by orenlindsey on 11/27/24, 8:07 PM

    Just thought you might know - Apple added a new feature in the latest MacOS update that does the same thing. It's called Video Viewer and you can turn it on when a video is playing by clicking the icon that looks like the rectangle with two lines under it.

    Yours is seamless and you don't have to turn it on every time, though.

  • by nosequel on 11/27/24, 8:03 PM

    Amazon has prior art on AutoPIP

  • by whatsthatabout on 11/27/24, 10:37 AM

    As stated in the readme, this is my first coding project using Swift and Xcode. As a beginner, I welcome any help, suggestions, or contributions to improve the code and functionality!

  • by ko3us on 11/28/24, 10:53 AM

    Why do you need to have a lot of permissions for the extension?

    This extension would be able to read and alter web pages and see your browsing history on this website. This could include sensitive information, including passwords, phone numbers and credit cards.

    You can change this later in the Websites section of Safari Settings.

  • by cpressland on 11/27/24, 6:49 PM

    This is amazing - I’ve not had a chance to test this yet but if it works as described then this is something I’ve been needing without realising it.

    Hopefully you’ll be able to get this on the Mac App Store at some point, I’d gladly pay for this.

    Edit: alternatively Homebrew / Nix.

  • by kelvinjps10 on 11/27/24, 7:22 PM

    I thought this was the default for all browsers