Bing Chat, the ChatGPT-based AI chatbot that took the world by storm just two weeks ago, is going mobile. Bing Chat was previously only available on laptop or desktop web browsers, but Microsoft announced: (opens in new tab) Now available in the Bing and Edge mobile apps for iOS and Android.
I had to update Bing on my iPhone to get the chat feature, but with access to the chat preview, it worked automatically. Bing requested access to my location in order to get results targeting my location. I also needed to use my mic. That’s because you can now use your voice to talk to Bing. On mobile, Bing speaks to you.
At the moment, Bing’s voice is a generic female voice and lacks a bit of emotion. This follows in the footsteps of default settings for Siri and Alexa, but these are modifiable and options include male voices and different accents. Hopefully Bing will finally allow this kind of customization. Voice is also available on desktop.
But Bing’s leap to mobile isn’t just about Edge and the Bing app. Microsoft is also bringing AI chatbots to Skype. In this case, add Bing to a conversation or group chat with a friend. From there, tag @Bing and ask a question, and Bing AI will answer. According to Microsoft’s blog post, you can get your answers in text, bullet points, or “abbreviated responses.”
Bing also works as a Skype translator — according to Microsoft, Bing is “fluent” in over 100 languages. Beyond Skype, Microsoft says it plans to bring Bing to other chat services, such as the Teams app, in the future.
Those who already have access to Bing Chat Preview will be able to access Skype later today. The company warns of bugs.
“In the first few days of testing these mobile experiences, you may find connectivity issues in low bandwidth situations. We are aware of this issue and are working on a fix.”
According to Microsoft, more than 1 million people from more than 169 countries have joined Bing Preview. The company made some changes to its chatbot, limiting its use and output after it went off the rails during long conversations (I heard it say some of the things it said to me out loud would have been scary!). Since then, the company has slowly lifted the guardrails to allow for more, slightly longer conversations.
