Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing AI chatbot, previously exclusive to the Edge browser, is now available on Google Chrome and Safari — with some limitations.
Users on these browsers can now access Bing Chat by going to bing.com and clicking the Chat icon on the menu. You can also install the Microsoft Bing extension on Chrome and Safari for quicker access. When we tested the availability of Bing AI on Chrome, we could choose a conversation style and send prompts to the chatbot.
Microsoft had announced plans to extend Bing Chat’s availability to all browsers shortly after it was released in February. However, that didn’t happen until now. The decision to make the chatbot available on other browsers would expand its reach to a wider group of users.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is set to release a ChatGPT app for Android devices this week. It’s unclear when the app will be launched. However, users can already pre-register for the app on Google Play.
Bing Chat Limitations on Chrome and Safari
Bing Chat has some limitations on Chrome and Safari. WindowsLatest reports that prompts are limited to 2,000 characters on these browsers, compared to 4,000 on Edge. Also, the chatbot resets after just five prompts on Chrome and Safari. On Edge, users can input up to thirty prompts before the chatbot resets.
It’s unclear if Microsoft has plans to lift these limitations. Users on Chrome and Safari are prompted to create a Microsoft account and sign in “to ask more questions and have longer conversations.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft has launched a “dark mode” option for Bing Chat. The chatbot theme will align your system preferences, but you can manually activate dark mode from the settings.
Bing Chat for Businesses
Microsoft continues to expand access to Bing Chat. In a blog post on July 18, the company announced it is releasing a preview of Bing Chat for businesses. Bing Chat Enterprise comes with “commercial data protection,” Microsoft said, explaining that it won’t save prompts or use it to train the AI.
Bing Chat Enterprise is included in some Microsoft products like Microsoft 365, Business Standard, and Business Premium plans. The company plans to release the chatbot as a standalone product but hasn’t announced when this could happen.
Along with the news of Bing Chat Enterprise, Microsoft also launched Visual Search, a feature that allows users to add images to prompts for the chatbot.
As generative chatbots continue to evolve and find their way to different platforms, it’s important to protect your privacy when using them. Remember, chatbots may collect and store user data. The ChatGPT data leak in June highlights how user data could easily fall into the wrong hands.
We recommend reading the terms and conditions of any chatbot you use and consider using a VPN for anonymity.
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