Microsoft Launcher version 6 is out for beta testers, bringing GPT-4-powered Bing Chat AI to Android’s home screen. Microsoft is betting big on Bing Chat, which has already been integrated into the Edge browser. And now it’s rolling out to more Android audiences via Microsoft Launcher’s update.
Microsoft Launcher is one of the most popular launchers for Android, with over 50 million downloads, and it is also known in the niche for quality experience. Microsoft Launcher has always offered Bing integration, but today’s beta update adds “Bing Chat” to all search bars in Launcher.
For example, you can now pull the screen to open the search bar and start a Bing Chat conversation from anywhere in the Launcher. The search bar has been updated with Bing’s Chat and voice features, allowing you to chat with ChatGPT-powered Bing from anywhere, anytime.
Microsoft officials describe the update as a new way to bridge the gap between Bing Chat and Android and allow more users to try “AI-powered copilot, which can provide helpful answers to your questions”.
There’s also a new Bing widget that lets you access the chat from the homepage.
Here’s the official changelog:
- New – Start a Bing Chat conversation from anywhere in the Launcher you find search.
- Bing is your A1-powered copilot and can provide helpful answers to your questions.
- Bing Chat functionality is available in regions supported by Bing Chat.
- Bing Chat functionality requires Android 8.0 and up
- Bug fixes.
Microsoft said Bing Chat functionality requires Android 8.0 and newer. In our tests, we observed Bing Chat doesn’t work on older Android phones due to permission issues.