Picture-in-Picture Timers: Stay on Track Without Switching Tabs

The fundamental tension of using a timer while working is this: you need to know the time without being distracted by checking the time.

Tabbing back to a timer tab every few minutes breaks focus. Phone timers require you to look away from your screen. A clock in the corner of your browser tells you the time but not how much time is left on your countdown.

Picture-in-Picture solves this.

What Picture-in-Picture does

In Tempo, the Picture-in-Picture button pops out a small, always-on-top window that lists your running timers. This window floats above every other application on your screen — above your browser, your document editor, your video player, everything.

It's always visible. It doesn't require you to switch tabs, alt-tab, or look away from what you're working on. It shows your current timers and their remaining time, updating in real time.

When it's most useful

Focused writing or work. You're in a document, Pomodoro timer running. The PiP window sits in the corner of your screen. You can see the countdown without touching your keyboard.

Watching tutorial videos. You're following along with a cooking tutorial or a workout video. The PiP timer floats above the video. You don't have to pause, tab away, check, and resume.

Presentations. You're in fullscreen presentation mode. The PiP window stays on top even in fullscreen. Your timer is visible even when your browser is hidden behind the slides.

Cooking from a tablet or laptop. Your recipe is on screen. Your timer floats in the corner. You never have to navigate away from the recipe to check the countdown.

Interval training. Form video playing on one half of the screen. Timer floating in the corner. You know when to go and when to rest without taking your eyes off the video.

How to activate it

1. Start one or more timers in Tempo
2. Click the Picture-in-Picture button in the header
3. The PiP window appears — drag it to wherever on your screen you want it
4. Switch to any other tab or application — the window stays on top

To close it, click the X on the PiP window or return to Tempo and toggle it off.

The technical side

Picture-in-Picture in Tempo uses the browser's native Picture-in-Picture API, originally designed for video content. Tempo uses it to render a live timer display instead. Because it's a native browser feature, the window integrates naturally with your operating system — it behaves like any other floating window, can be resized and repositioned, and stays on top even when other applications are in focus.

Supported browsers: Chrome and Edge on desktop. Not currently available on mobile or Firefox.

A note on alternatives

If you're not on Chrome or Edge desktop, Focus mode is a good alternative. It gives you a fullscreen, distraction-free timer display that you can run in a separate window or on a second monitor. It shows the current timer large and clearly, with a "Next: ..." indicator for chained sequences.

For mobile use, installing Tempo as a PWA and keeping it open on a second screen (like a tablet propped next to your workspace) achieves a similar result.

The principle

The best timer is the one you can see without thinking about checking it. Picture-in-Picture gets as close to invisible infrastructure as a timer can get — it's there when you need it, out of the way when you don't.

Try Picture-in-Picture at timertempo.com → (Chrome/Edge desktop)