After an eventful first week of testing the Bing AI chatbot on desktop, Microsoft is rolling out support for mobile apps.
Microsoft announced on Wednesday(opens in new tab) The iOS and Android versions of Bing, its Edge web browser, and AI integration in Skype. Mobile access is only available to a select group of testers, but the announcement shared a lot of information about what to expect when it goes live. Here’s what we know.
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new voice input
If you use Bing or Edge on mobile, this makes a lot of sense and is one of the most requested features according to Microsoft. Instead of typing prompts, you can send voice recordings like any other voice assistant. Early testers have shared a demo of a new feature that displays a microphone button at the bottom of the screen that you can tap to record. Bing then shares the response in text and voice formats.
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A more mobile-friendly interface
Bing on iOS and Android has also been tweaked to be more mobile friendly. You can tap the Bing icon at the bottom to start a chat session and use the chat with the same features (email, create poems, lists, etc.) and the answers and quotes you see on your desktop. You can also customize how your answers are displayed — bullet points, text, or “abbreviated answers,” the announcement said.
The new Bing has the same desktop features with a mobile-friendly interface.
Credit: Microsoft
Don’t forget Skype…
Remember Skype? Well, the OG VoIP platform gets its own AI injection.Now you can start Skype chat (opens in new tab)Use AI-powered Bing to work just like Bing and Edge. This includes asking us to generate drafts of ideas, recommendations, and messages. Bing for Skype can also share weather, flight and hotel information.
Tag Bing in a group Skype chat for travel recommendations and more.
Credit: Skype
Within Skype’s group chat, tagging Bing in the group chat invites Bing into the conversation and provides AI expertise (which is still a bit rough around the edges). They might tag you on Bing and ask when it airs and how you stream it. Bing for Skype also has voice input, which you can customize to respond in bulleted, text, or kid-friendly style.
Despite some treacherous reactions in early testing, Microsoft seems to be moving fast and fully committed to Bing by throwing in a ton of new mobile support and dictation features. At this rate, they are losing the AI arms race.
