Bing Chat Now Available on the Go: now on iOS and Android
Microsoft has brought its AI-powered Bing Chat to mobile devices. The chatbot is now available in three apps on Android and iOS.
The next-gen search tool driven by OpenAI's ChatGPT technology has already gained over 1 Million users in 169 Countries. It has been received positively by 71% of testers for its search-and-answer capabilities.
Bing Chat comes to Android and iPhones
Bing AI Chat can be used from the Edge, Bing and Skype apps for iOS and Android, provided that you have access to the new Bing. I have been using it every day since I got access to it on desktop. The mobile version of the chat is more or less similar to the desktop's interface, but there are some notable changes in the user experience.
Bing Chat with Voice Access
The Bing app displays a welcome screen to highlight the introduction of Bing chat. The Edge browser app didn't let me use the Chat option even though I was signed in to the same account. Perhaps it is rolling out to users slowly.
Bing Chat in the Search app can be accessed by tapping the large "B" icon at the bottom. The chatbot's start page has a large microphone button that takes center stage. Microsoft wants users to use voice access to talk with the AI. Of course, you will need to grant permission to the app for using your microphone. This is completely optional, you may skip it and use the keyboard button in the bottom right corner, to type in your queries. The app will also request location access to provide relevant results, this requirement is also optional.
Bing Chat turn limit increased to 6 per conversation
You can ask it to write poems, jokes, riddles, songs, letters, code a program, etc. The experience is identical to the PC version. The chat turn limit for Bing AI has been increased from 5 to 6. So after you get 6 replies from the bot, you will need to clear the chat, and start a new conversation. Microsoft announced the change a couple of days ago, while also confirming that there is a limit of 60 total chats per day. The Redmond company plans to increase the count to 100 chats per day soon.
The links for sources in the answers and results are annotated (numbered links). The links aren't highlighted directly when you scroll the chat, however, if you tap on the bot's reply the text becomes underlined to indicate they are clickable. Tap the "Learn More" button to view the names of the websites that were linked to, that you can visit and if you wish to verify the information provided by the A.I.
Bing AI is still in an early phase, sometimes its answers are not always accurate, or in this particular example, it is clearly not up-to-date. For those who don't follow soccer, the score in this particular answer is correct, but the player's name is wrong, he doesn't even play for that team anymore. Interestingly, Bing did not cite a source for this answer, I wonder where it pulled the incorrect information from. When you point out an answer is wrong or ask it about its limitations, the chatbot seems to want to stop the conversation.
Microsoft Bing Chat in Skype
Microsoft has also introduced the AI-powered Bing in Skype for mobile. You can have a one-on-one conversation with the bot, or even add the AI to group chats. The chatbot can do more than just chat, it can format answers into lists, and is capable of translating text in over 100 languages, so it can be useful in a multilingual group.
You'll need to add Bing to your Skype contacts, in order to access the chatbot. There are several Skype users who have their profile name as Bing, make sure you are chatting with the actual Microsoft bot.
How to use Bing Chat in Skype
1. Open the Skype app on your phone, and switch to the Contacts tab in the bottom right corner.
2. Tap in the Search box.
3. You should see Bing as the first result below your People (Address Book) list. It's listed under Bing in Skype.
4. Tap on Bing, and it will display a welcome message. Tap the "Try it" button.
5. The app will request location access, you may skip it, and the chat will load.
You would think that a chat app would offer the best experience with a chatbot, but ironically the Bing AI in Skype experience is not as good as the Edge/Bing app version. The latter are better due to the annotations for links, and clickable follow-up queries.
Download the mobile apps to test the chatbot.
Have you tried Bing chat on your phone?
