'Chrome 73' comes with multimedia keys on desktop, laptop keyboards: Report

The next version of Google's search browser "Chrome 73" would come with support for multimedia keys on desktop and laptop keyboards, the media reported. The feature would initially support "play", "pause", "previous track", "next track", "seek backwards", and "seek forward" keyboard commands as part of "Google Chrome 73", that is scheduled to release next month, Engadget reported on Friday.

The support for multimedia is being added at the browser level rather than the tab level, hence the multimedia buttons would work even when Chrome is operating in the background or is minimised. "If you're watching a YouTube video and you pull up another app while the video is playing, hitting the pause button will still stop it," the report explained.

The feature would first be made available for Chrome OS, macOS and Windows and reach Linux users later this year. The new addition would also ship with a "Media Session API" that would enable developers to customise how their sites and apps interact with multimedia keys. Chrome would be the first browser to offer such support, the report added.

(With inputs from agencies.)