A few month in the past, a reader despatched me a screenshot of Bing exhibiting this bizarre search field on its web page after you seek for Google. I assumed it was some bizarre Microsoft Rewards promotion and took it at that and moved on. I used to be fallacious, tons of publications at the moment are saying that is Microsoft’s approach of tricking Bing customers to pondering they’re utilizing Google Search.
First, because of Punit for pinging me about this again on December thirteenth on Bluesky – sorry for not protecting it.
Second, that is the way it works. If you happen to go to Bing and seek for [google] or [search engine] and likewise [yandex], Bing will anchor you all the way down to a brand new search field that appears rather a lot just like the Google model. In truth, it hides the Bing and Microsoft branding by anchoring you down simply far sufficient to not see it.
Here’s a GIF of it in motion:
Discover how whenever you do the search, Bing anchors the browser down so it tucks away the highest bar.
I can think about a ton of individuals looking in Bing are typing in Google to search out Google Search. The identical on Google, I’ve seen so many individuals go to Google and seek for Google.
Listed here are static screenshots after I transfer the browser bar again as much as the highest of the display screen:
This was lined by Mayank Parmar who wrote Microsoft Bing is trying to spoof Google UI when people search Google.com after which it caught on and tons of publications picked it up.
Listed here are some:
It even hit Techmeme, so I used to be tremendous fallacious not protecting it.
A Google government even slammed this on this tweet which Google reposted on different channels:
Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery, however Microsoft spoofing the Google homepage is one other tactic in its lengthy historical past of tips to confuse customers & restrict selection.
New yr; new low @Microsoft https://t.co/LKSNNKB7Hy
— Parisa Tabriz (@laparisa) January 6, 2025
One other Googler:
Shameful. https://t.co/2rb1MjT0Fn
— Jeffrey Jose (@jeffjose) January 6, 2025
Right here is when Punit notified me of this nearly a month in the past:
Microsoft is selling google with doodle.
CC: @rustybrick.com
— Punit (@punit6008.bsky.social) December 13, 2024 at 5:45 AM
Individuals suppose that after running a blog for over 20 years that I do know what tales will hit, I do not at all times and actually not often do:
I can relate, lol. This has occurred so many occasions—like once I ignore some information, pondering it’s nothing or plan to submit it later, however then different individuals begin reporting on it, and it will get picked up closely.
— Mayank Parmar (@mayank_jee) January 6, 2025
I assumed this was a non story however man, I used to be fallacious.
Here’s a fast video I made a short time after posting this story:
Discussion board dialogue at X.
