Stop Play Background Video by SYED SAMEER UL HASSAN

Stop Play is the intelligent media guardian and auto-pause controller for Google Chrome. It automatically detects playing HTML5 videos and audio across all your open tabs, instantly pausing playback whenever you switch tabs or leave Chrome for another desktop application. When you return, it seamlessly resumes playback right where you left off.

Tired of forgotten YouTube tabs blasting audio in the background, consuming heavy CPU, and draining your laptop battery? Want to listen to background music or a podcast in one tab without it constantly stopping? Stop Play gives you complete, automated control over your browser media.

KEY FEATURES & CAPABILITIES

• Smart Auto-Pause on Tab Switch
Never lose your place in a video or webinar. As soon as you navigate to a different browser tab, Stop Play immediately pauses the active media stream.

• Instant Auto-Resume on Return
Switch back to your video tab, and Stop Play instantly resumes playback without requiring you to click play.

• External App Switch Detection
Detects when Chrome loses operating system focus. When you switch to VS Code, Slack, Zoom, Word, or any desktop software, background playback automatically pauses.

• Per-Tab Background Audio Lock (Tab Exemption)
Want to listen to Spotify, lofi streams, podcasts, or music while working? Simply lock that specific tab using the popup deck or by pressing the "L" shortcut. The locked tab will continue playing continuously in the background, while all other video tabs remain protected by auto-pause.

• Floating Dynamic Island In-Page HUD
Enjoy sleek, non-intrusive floating visual feedback at the top of your webpage. Built using isolated Shadow DOM technology, ensuring zero styling conflicts with any website.

• Universal HTML5 Compatibility
Works seamlessly across YouTube, Netflix, Twitch, Vimeo, Coursera, Udemy, Twitter/X, Reddit, news websites, and modern single-page web applications.

• Customizable Allowlist
Easily whitelist music domains and streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud so they never pause automatically.

• Keyboard-First Workflow
Control your entire media experience without reaching for your mouse:
- Space: Toggle Play / Pause on active media
- L: Toggle Background Lock (Keep Playing)
- Enter: Jump directly to the playing tab
- S: Open Studio Settings

PERFORMANCE & BATTERY SAVINGS

Running multiple playing video tabs in the background is one of the leading causes of high Chrome CPU utilization, thermal throttling, and fast laptop battery depletion. By automatically halting background decoders and video rendering pipelines the moment you switch away, Stop Play significantly reduces memory pressure and extends your battery life throughout the day.

PRIVACY-FIRST & ZERO-TELEMETRY GUARANTEE

Your privacy is paramount. Stop Play is engineered with strict local-first principles:
• 100% Local Execution: Built on Google Chrome Manifest V3 APIs.
• Zero Data Collection: No browsing history, video titles, or URLs are ever tracked, collected, or transmitted.
• Zero External Network Requests: The extension contains no analytics, no third-party tracking pixels, and no remote dependencies.
• Open Source: Fully transparent codebase licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.

HOW TO USE

1. Install Stop Play from the Chrome Web Store.
2. Start playing any video on YouTube or your favorite streaming site.
3. Switch to another tab or minimize Chrome — your video automatically pauses!
4. Switch back to your video — playback resumes instantly.
5. To keep music playing in the background, open the extension popup and click "Keep Playing in Background" (or press L).

SUPPORT & OPEN SOURCE

Stop Play is actively developed and maintained by Syed Sameer Ul Hassan.
• Source Code: https://github.com/syed-sameer-ul-hassan/Stop-Play
• Portfolio: https://sameer.orildo.dev
• Issues & Feedback: https://github.com/syed-sameer-ul-hassan/Stop-Play/issues