Google Chrome is exploring a new `<usermedia>` HTML element that would let web developers declaratively request camera and microphone access, offering a simpler alternative to the JavaScript `getUserMedia()` API for capturing audio and video streams.
Background
Chrome is experimenting with a new native HTML element called <code><usermedia></code> that lets web developers capture a user's camera or microphone directly in markup, without writing JavaScript. Currently, accessing a user's webcam or mic requires the <code>getUserMedia()</code> JavaScript API, which involves permission prompts, stream handling, and complex code. This proposal aims to simplify that by letting developers write something like <code><usermedia srcobject="camera"></code> in HTML instead. It's part of a broader push (called "HTML-ification" or "declarative web") to move common capabilities from JavaScript into native HTML elements — similar to how <code><video></code> and <code><audio></code> already handle media playback without scripting. If adopted, this could make web apps like video calls, QR code scanners, or photo booth tools much easier to build. However, this is still an early proposal, not a standard, and may change or fail to ship.