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Microsoft Starts Testing Bing Chat on Chrome and Safari, ‘Select Users’ Get Access to Tests
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is bringing its Bing AI chatbot to non-Microsoft users. The company has started testing Bing Chat on other browsers – Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari. Within the move, Microsoft is expecting to grow its user base.
Caitlin Roulston, Microsoft’s director of communications, commented:
“We are flighting access to Bing Chat in Safari and Chrome to select users as part of our testing on other browsers. We are excited to expand access to even more users once our standard testing procedures are complete.”
Previously, Microsoft’s Bing Chat was available to users only within Microsoft products, like the Bing mobile app and Microsoft Edge browser.
Currently, a limited number of users have got access to the feature. And those who can now open Bing AI chatbot on Windows received a pop-up in the Windows 10 or 11 taskbar, offering the opportunity to test the Bing AI in Chrome. Otherwise, for accessing the chatbot, you just need to head to the Bing website and click on the “Chat” icon.
Bing Chat experience on Chrome and Safari is pretty similar to what users find on Edge. You can enter a prompt as well as choose a conversation style. However, compared to Edge, Chrome and Safari have a few limitations. In particular, users can only type 2,000-word prompts, in contrast to the 4,000-word limit when using Bing Chat on Edge. In addition, Bing Chat on Chrome and Safari resets conversations after five queries, while it happens after 30 queries on Edge. In Chrome and Safari, Bing Chat also shows repeated ads prompting users to install Edge.
Notably, Microsoft has not only rolled out its AI chatbot on other browsers but also added dark mode to Bing Chat. The feature is also available for select users who can click on the menu and select “Appearance/Dark” or “System Default”.
Bing Chat Being the Best on Edge
As mentioned above, Chrome and Safari users are facing some limitations when using Bing Chat on browsers other than Edge. The reason is that Bing Chat has been the first and only AI chatbot to be integrated with a web browser – Microsoft Edge. However, the Edge browser is not as popular as Chrome or Safari. According to statistics, Edge takes just a 5.13% share of all browser users in 2023, while Chrome dominates the market with 61.80% of users and Safari takes a 24.36% browser market share.
The availability of Bing Chatbot only on the Microsoft Edge browser has been inconvenient for some users, therefore, Microsoft’s decision to add support for Chrome and Safari has been obvious. However, the company has not commented on the differences between the various versions of Bing Chat or further plans for the chatbot’s expansion.
Earlier, Microsoft announced that Bing Chat would have a version with business-focused data privacy and governance controls.
Microsoft Starts Testing Bing Chat on Chrome and Safari, ‘Select Users’ Get Access to Tests
