The Chrome Extension

Tired of missing out on audio content while you browse or work? The Zip Captions Chrome Extension is a powerful Chrome extension designed to keep you in the loop by displaying the captions from Zip Captions in a convenient, always-accessible overlay. Whether you're watching presentations, live streams, or any web content that generates live text, our extension ensures those captions are visible across all your Chrome tabs or even in a separate, floating window that stays with you.

The Zip Captions Chrome Extension showing captions in a pop-up window positioned underneath the main browser window

The extension allows you to multitask effectively without losing track of spoken content. Customize the overlay's appearance to perfectly match your viewing comfort with adjustable background opacity and text size. Choose to have captions displayed discreetly at the bottom of your pages or "pop out" the overlay into its own resizable window for maximum flexibility. Stay informed, stay productive, and never miss a word, no matter where you browse!

1. Installation:

• Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store

• Once installed, you'll see its icon in your Chrome toolbar.

2. Setting up the Caption Source:

• For the extension to capture and display captions, you must have the Zip Captions page open and actively producing captions.

3. Using the Extension Popup (Clicking the Toolbar Icon): Click the icon in your Chrome toolbar to open the control popup. Here you'll find:

The extension with the menu option

• Global Overlay Control:

  • Status Text: Shows if the overlay is currently "Enabled" or "Disabled."

  • Enable/Disable Overlay Globally Button: This is the main switch for the extension.

    • If it says "Disable Overlay Globally," captions are active. Clicking it will turn off all caption overlays (both in-page and the pop-out if it's open) and change the button text to "Enable Overlay Globally."

    • If it says "Enable Overlay Globally," captions are inactive. Clicking it will turn the feature on, and overlays will attempt to appear based on your settings.

• Pop-out / Dock Control:

  • "Pop-out Overlay" Button: Click this to move the caption display from the in-page overlays into a separate, floating window. The in-page overlays on all tabs will then hide.

  • "Focus Pop-out Window" Button: If the pop-out window is already open, this button's text will change. Clicking it will attempt to bring the existing pop-out window to the front.

• Style Options:

  • Background Opacity Slider: Drag the slider to adjust the transparency of the overlay's background (both for the in-page overlay and the pop-out window). The value (e.g., 0.10 to 1.00) is displayed next to the label. Changes are applied live.

  • Text Size (px) Input: Enter a number (e.g., between 10 and 48) or use the small arrows to set your preferred font size for the captions. This also applies to both in-page and pop-out overlays live.

4. The In-Page Overlay:

• When the extension is Enabled and the display mode is set to "in-page" (this is the default mode, or after docking the pop-out):

  • A persistent overlay panel will appear at the bottom of all your open Chrome tabs (that match the extension's permissions, typically all standard web pages).

  • On the Source Tab: The overlay will display the live captions being generated directly from that page.

  • On Other Tabs: The overlay will display the same live captions being broadcast from your active Source Tab. If no Source Tab is active or sending captions, it will typically display "Waiting for captions..." or a similar message.

• This in-page overlay will use the opacity and text size you've set in the popup.

5. The Pop-out Window Overlay:

• Activating: Click the "Pop-out Overlay" button in the extension's main popup.

• Behaviour: A new, small, separate window will appear, dedicated to showing the live captions.

  • It will float and can be moved around your screen. While it tries to stay on top of other Chrome windows, operating system behaviour or full-screen apps might sometimes cover it.

  • The in-page overlays on your other tabs will automatically hide while the pop-out is active.

  • The pop-out window will display live captions from your Source Tab and will use the opacity and text size settings from the main popup.

• "Dock to Page" Icon/Button: Inside the pop-out window (usually in a corner), you'll find an icon button.

  • Clicking this "Dock" button will close the pop-out window.

  • The extension will automatically switch back to "in-page" overlay mode, and the in-page overlays will reappear on your browser tabs, displaying the live captions.

• Closing the Pop-out: If you close the pop-out window using its standard OS window close button (the 'X'), it will also automatically switch the extension back to "in-page" overlay mode.

6. Multi-Tasking with Captions:

• With either the in-page overlay or the pop-out window active, you can browse other tabs or work in other applications (though the pop-out's ability to stay on top of non-Chrome apps is limited) while still seeing the live captions from your source tab.

Troubleshooting & Tips:

• Ensure a Source Tab is Active: For captions to appear anywhere, you need at least one tab open that the extension recognizes as a caption source and that tab must be actively producing captions.

• Check the Global Toggle: If no overlays are appearing, first check the main "Enable/Disable Overlay Globally" button in the extension popup.

• One Primary Source: While the extension tries to be smart, for the most consistent cross-tab captioning experience, it's best to have only one primary tab actively generating captions that you intend to be the source.

• Reload if Needed: If you change settings or encounter an issue, sometimes reloading the extension from chrome://extensions and then reloading your web pages can help.