[SOLVED[ Any plans to add the "Global Media Controls" flag to the Microsoft Edge?

MVP

Already available in Chrome Version 77.0.3847.0 (Official Build) canary (64-bit), although it crashes every time i use the media buttons but i'm sure it's only temporary and will be stable soon. however it seems really useful and would make a great addition to the Microsoft Edge.

I'm on Edge Canary latest ver.

 

UPDATE: ADDED IN MICROSOFT EDGE Version 78.0.249.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit)

11 Replies

Hi @HotCakeX, I'm not positive, but I think that the Global Media Controls in Chrome is a Chrome only feature.  If you feel that there is a real need for more control of your media in the browser, please let us know that.  We would love to better understand the problem that you are trying to solve, the workarounds that you are currently using and what the ideal state would be for you.

Thanks - Elliot

@Elliot Kirk Hello, that feature can be most useful in a couple of situations, for example when you have a lot of opened tabs and one of them has a video playing in it, with the global media controls you won't need to search each tabs one by one to find that specific tab, you just click on that button and it lists all the medias being played.

another useful case can be when again you have more than 1 tab opened and one of them suddenly starts playing some audio or video in the background due to some intrusive ads, with that button you can handle it pretty quickly.

lastly, it comes very handy when you have only 1 open tab but you are scrolling through a web page that has infinite scrolling and somewhere at the top or middle of the page you play a video and then you keep on scrolling. without media controllers you will have to go back all the way up again to pause/play/next that video which will be hard since you will lose your progress through the page you were scrolling down and you will have to start all over again.

 

these are few useful cases that I experienced myself. i should also mentioned that right now that button in Chrome is stable. i don't think it matter that much that media controllers is a chrome only feature since Edge team is a lot capable and could implement such feature if they decided to.

Thanks :)

@HotCakeX I am not sure what OS you are using, but on Windows 10, Microsoft Edge (Chromium) gives a better option of media control which integrates with the Volume HUD: 

 

Edge Media Controls.png

 

It also allows you to control playback using media buttons on your keyboard regardless of whatever window is currently focused.

 

Although this feature was present in some earlier version of Chromium too, but they later disabled it. So, when any media is being played, you'd see only the Volume HUD in Chrome Canary when you use media keys. It's not the case with Microsoft Edge (Chromium). They (Chromium devs) recently replaced that feature with a play icon on the toolbar, which can be enabled by enabling the "Global Media Controls" flag, as you described. But, I guess, that works only when Chrome's window is on focus and not controllable with the media buttons on the keyboard. (Couldn't test it thoroughly as it is very unstable as of yet.)

@Deleted 

1. I use Windows 10 pro latest stable and insider fast ring

2. whatever Edge canary is using, Chrome canary is using as well so don't think Edge has any advantages there.

3. i think you need to read my previous comment again to understand the need for global media controls button. you don't think Google developers just made a useless button, do you? lol

4. global media controls button manages more than 1 media while the Windows 10's built in manager only works with 1 media at a time.

2. whatever Edge canary is using, Chrome canary is using as well so don't think Edge has any advantages there.

Not really. Earlier (Until a few days ago), they had the same approach. You should read my reply again.

 

3. i think you need to read my previous comment again to understand the need for global media controls button. you don't think Google developers just made a useless key, do you? lol

I don't think you read my reply. Nowhere did I deny that we don't need a global media control button. I mentioned that Microsoft Edge uses an implementation which Google has now removed from their codebase in favour of a newer global media control option. It doesn't integrate with Windows' Media Control HUD.

 

 

4. global media controls button manages more than 1 media while the Windows 10's built in manager only works with 1 media at a time.

About that, as I checked, it controls playback of only the current tab. So, it is no different than the existing Windows' Volume HUD control.

@Deleted one question about the hud, you know a shortcut to force it to appear (without change the volume)

If you have media control keys on your keyboard, you can control the playback directly, since these keys integrate with the HUD globally.
yes i have asked only because i would like to know the name of music playing without up or down the volume (my keyboard allow only vol+ vol- mut play pause stop < >, but not only show this overlay
You can use the Play/Pause key to know the name of the media currently being played.

@Deleted 

Google Chrome canary Version 77.0.3859.0 (Official Build) canary (64-bit)

both the global media key and the Windows 10 integrated media controls are working, seamlessly.

so as i said Google hasn't removed anything, they also added something new which allows controlling more than 1 playback.

you know what's funny? the fact that the next/previous buttons in the Google's controls work on YouTube videos and other places but the Windows 10's built in thingy doesn't work, these buttons are just grey.

 


@HotCakeX wrote:

@Deleted 

Google Chrome canary Version 77.0.3859.0 (Official Build) canary (64-bit)

both the global media key and the Windows 10 integrated media controls are working, seamlessly.

so as i said Google hasn't removed anything, they also added something new which allows controlling more than 1 playback.

you know what's funny? the fact that the next/previous buttons in the Google's controls work on YouTube videos and other places but the Windows 10's built in thingy doesn't work, these buttons are just grey.


@HotCakeX I apologise for my mistake. You were actually right — Google hasn't removed the integration with Windows' Volume HUD in Chrome Canary. But, for some reasons the day I commented on global media control, it wasn't working as intended to, and neither was Windows' Volume HUD integration working (It hadn't been working for a while in Chrome Canary though). But, since Chrome Canary version 77.0.3861.0, everything works smoothly.

 

And, sure it does sound like a good idea, but I am afraid it is a Chrome-only feature. I hope they don't restrict Edge team to create their own alternative.