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How is YouTube able to launch a pop-up window without a border?

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 144 views
  • Last reply by MartyJames

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I was just using YouTube, clicked some button, and a pop-up video appeared that I could drag anywhere on the screen, even outside the browser window. It took me a while to realize that it's actually a pop-up window with no border, no file menu, no address bar! just a floating video with no border at all! Very creepy!

What is going on here? How can this be possible? Why is Firefox allowing this? Surely if sites are allowed to make windows pop up without borders, it represents a huge security risk? They could pretend to be anything - a message from Firefox, a Windows error message, anything at all. I am so concerned about this! I presume this is a new feature of Firefox and it needs to be stopped immediately!

Lately, Firefox seems to be giving more and more control over to web developers, and taking away more of the users' rights and security. It is worrying and I don't like where things are going. Why can't Firefox just concentrate on being a great browser instead of allowing developers to do new things?

I was just using YouTube, clicked some button, and a pop-up video appeared that I could drag anywhere on the screen, even outside the browser window. It took me a while to realize that it's actually a pop-up window with no border, no file menu, no address bar! just a floating video with no border at all! Very creepy! What is going on here? How can this be possible? Why is Firefox allowing this? Surely if sites are allowed to make windows pop up without borders, it represents a huge security risk? They could pretend to be anything - a message from Firefox, a Windows error message, anything at all. I am so concerned about this! I presume this is a new feature of Firefox and it needs to be stopped immediately! Lately, Firefox seems to be giving more and more control over to web developers, and taking away more of the users' rights and security. It is worrying and I don't like where things are going. Why can't Firefox just concentrate on being a great browser instead of allowing developers to do new things?

Chosen solution

Hi MartyJames

YouTube has a button to open a mini player that is fixed to the bottom right corner of the Firefox window.

However what you describe about a window you can drag around more sounds like you use the Firefox Picture in Picture feature.
You open such a standalone player window by clicking the blue PiP icon that appears when you hover a media player.
You can resize this window and drag it around to e convenient position.

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Chosen Solution

Hi MartyJames

YouTube has a button to open a mini player that is fixed to the bottom right corner of the Firefox window.

However what you describe about a window you can drag around more sounds like you use the Firefox Picture in Picture feature.
You open such a standalone player window by clicking the blue PiP icon that appears when you hover a media player.
You can resize this window and drag it around to e convenient position.

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Wonderful! Thanks so much Cor-el!

It was indeed the Firefox Picture-in-Picture feature I had brought up. I had no idea it existed Firefox should do more to announce new features like this.

I'm just glad Firefox isn't allowing sites to launch borderless pop-up windows!

Perfect answer, thanks Cor-el! :-)

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You're welcome.

Note this was mentioned a long time ago in the Firefox 71.0 Release Notes as a new feature.

Modified by cor-el

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Thanks, Cor-el

IMHO it's not enough for Mozilla to mention features like this in the release notes, in a long list alongside bug fixes, improvements, enhancements, etc, which most people won't read. It's a totally new feature that will really confuse users unless we know about it. I remember getting a big announcement when they added new features like Pocket and Monitor, with a big user-friendly welcome page explaining how they work. Any new feature should be introduced that way.

I have sent them feedback about this!

Modified by MartyJames