Nearly eight months after I shared FloatTube here, here’s where the project is today
Hi everyone, As a small thank you to the community, FloatTube is available for $1.99 for a limited time. The Chrome version is available for free, with some platform-specific differences. You can find a detailed comparison on the website. Nearly eight months ago, I shared FloatTube, a browser extension for Safari, here. I want to thank everyone in r/macapps who tried it, shared feedback, and helped the project grow. Problem FloatTube was created to improve the Safari browser video watching experience. Instead of switching between watching a video and browsing comments or page content, it lets you keep the video visible while continuing to use the page. Comparison Compared with YouTube’s built-in mini player, FloatTube provides a resizable in-page floating player that can be freely moved and adjusted, including trackpad gesture support on Mac. Compared with standard browser Picture-in-Picture, FloatTube adds automatic PiP options when switching browser tabs or apps, and can keep YouTube subtitles visible in the PiP window. Pricing FloatTube for Safari is available on the Mac App Store as a one-time purchase. The current limited-time price is $1.99 (regular price $2.99). The Chrome version is available for free, with some platform-specific differences compared with the Safari version. Current development Since then, FloatTube has evolved from a YouTube-focused Safari extension into a smoother video browsing experience: Watch videos while browsing comments and page content Automatically enter Picture-in-Picture when switching apps or browser tabs Enhanced PiP with YouTube subtitles For the next stage, I’m experimenting with support for more websites, starting with Netflix and Bilibili. I’m taking a whitelist-based approach rather than trying to support every website, so each integration can remain isolated and stable. These new integrations are still experimental and may need adjustments as websites change. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas. While I can’t promise support for every platform, I’ll keep exploring where FloatTube can improve the viewing experience. I’ll also send a few Safari codes to people who share meaningful feedback. Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6755630162
Collected discussion
They remove the previous post? This one looks great btw
Maybe add an option for a semi transparent overlay background - would help for a focus mode
Thanks for the suggestion! I can see the value of a focus mode with an optional overlay. It’s a different direction from the current FloatTube experience, but I’ll consider whether this could be a useful addition in the future. I’d also be happy to send you a Safari code if you’d like to try FloatTube. Feel free to DM me.
Is the PiP player compatible with ad blocker web browser extensions?
For the Safari version, compatibility with ad blocker extensions is generally very good. FloatTube is designed without heavily modifying the YouTube page or relying on complicated workarounds, so compatibility issues are uncommon. If you find any compatibility issues with a specific extension, feel free to let me know and I’ll take a look.
Hey this is great, may I ask how it compares to the current PIP solutions?
This would be amazing if it could support generic video players. I'm often on eLearning sites and it would be great to PiP their video player.
Oh! Thats super cool! can you change the size and position of the window?
So not to be a debby downer, but I truly do not understand what makes this any better than the dozens of free YouTube PIP extensions. The only unique feature I see is that it automatically enters PIP when you switch tabs -- which admittedly is cool if PIP youtube is a core part of your work flow. Personally, I think this app should be free until you create more features so that you can maximize your userbase and feedback. With respect, there just isn't enough here to justify the $1.99.
Thanks for the honest feedback! I understand that the value depends a lot on each person’s workflow. FloatTube is designed to offer more than just basic PiP, but I also understand that different users may value different parts of the experience. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
how much effort it takes to keep each integration working when sites like YouTube or Netflix change their front end.
It depends on the type of change. When building the YouTube integration, I already added some compatibility handling for possible front-end changes. Small updates usually don’t require action, but major changes to the video player or page structure may need an update. If a smaller change looks like it will become permanent, I’ll usually address it as well. YouTube also frequently runs A/B tests, so different users can sometimes see different interfaces. I focus more on changes that affect the actual experience rather than temporary UI differences. For major issues, I try to address them as soon as possible. From my previous release experience, Apple’s review process has generally been quite fast, so fixes can usually reach users quickly once they’re ready.
If you’re curious about the release cadence, the App Store version history is also a good reference.
looks cool, but you need to improve your thumbnails to make it more appealing, because looks like a great idea, but the thumbnails doesn't help to sell it
Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it. I’ve been focusing more on building the features, but I agree the presentation is also important. I’ll spend more time improving the screenshots and thumbnails.
Yeah like the other comments are saying, you need to make different thumbnails. When I made mine, I looked at apple's own apps and their thumbnails along with people from this subreddit as well.
Haven’t had time to try it on my Mac yet, but fully intend to buy a copy once on. Does this also work on Twitch? I pretty much use PIP on YouTube and Twitch.
Thanks! I really appreciate the support. I’ve looked into Twitch before. The main difference is that Twitch’s chat is integrated alongside the video stream, so the floating player experience isn’t as natural as it is on YouTube. However, automatic Picture-in-Picture when switching browser tabs is definitely possible. If you'd like to try it first, I'd be happy to send you a TestFlight invite. Just DM me here or on X anytime. I'd love to hear your feedback.
That's great, thx!
It block ads??
This is actually a really neat idea. I like the focus on improving the browsing experience rather than just adding another PiP feature. The ability to keep subtitles in PiP is a nice touch too. Curious to see how the Netflix and Bilibili integrations turn out
Thank you! That’s exactly the direction I’m aiming for improving the overall viewing experience rather than just adding another PiP implementation. I’m currently working on a new PIP subtitle mode that better matches the original YouTube subtitle. For Netflix, because of the differences in its web player design, I’m mainly focusing on PiP features: switching tabs or other applications to automatically enter PiP while keeping the currently displayed subtitles. Bilibili has a different situation. The floating player and automatic PiP work normally, but most Bilibili videos use embedded subtitles or AI-generated subtitles, so I’m not currently planning subtitle support there. I’m still considering whether adding danmaku support would make sense. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to invite you to the TestFlight beta.
any diff with PiP of chrome?
Safari benefits from the native system PiP player, providing deeper integration with support for DRM videos, subtitle customization, and HDR. It can also preserve some YouTube subtitle effects. Its automatic PiP behavior includes additional checks, such as display detection, to avoid unnecessary triggers. Chrome follows a different implementation approach. Automatic PiP when switching browser tabs is available in Chrome 134 and later, but it does not support Safari-like app switching PiP due to platform limitations. Since Chrome relies on video stream rendering, the experience may vary depending on device performance and available resources. Subtitle support also depends on the video type. For DRM videos, Chrome falls back to standard PiP without subtitles.
By the way, I noticed you're a developer. If you'd like, I can also add you to the TestFlight beta. It'd be interesting to compare notes, and I'd really appreciate any feedback.🙏