Microsoft rolled out the new ChatGPT-powered Bing about a month ago, although not everyone can use it. In fact, the new Bing is still in preview, with access limited only to those who’ve joined the waiting list. However, some users signed up with their Microsoft account weeks ago and still haven’t made it through the waitlist. Microsoft has a tip for these folks.
According to Michael Schechter, vice president of growth for Bing at Microsoft, one of the reasons you get stuck on the Bing waitlist is that your Microsoft account profile doesn’t include your birthday. Schechter also said that Microsoft will not approve user requests to try the new Bing unless they update their birth details on the Microsoft account profile page.
However, many criticized Microsoft’s decision to offer ChatGPT-based Bing access to those who use a birthday in their profile. A Twitter user said so that Microsoft could have asked users to provide their age when signing up to try the Bing experience instead of providing the birthday requirement on the Microsoft account profile page.
If you have been blocked on the @bing been on the waitlist for a while (and done the speedups), please check your microsoft account profile to make sure your birthday is here – https://t.co/cj6TMz9rCJ
If we don’t know your date of birth, we can’t admit you!
— Michael Schechter (@mikeschechter) March 9, 2023
Microsoft’s new Bing now has 100 million daily active users, although it remains a small player in the search market with a single-digit share of the market. The software giant hopes to inspire more people to use Bing Search with new features, including the upcoming “Celebrity” mode, where the bot will impersonate the celebrity of your choice and answer all your questions. Microsoft will also increase the chat limit in the coming months to allow users to interact with Bing more often.
In a recent blog post, Microsoft said it would enhance the Bing experience to “deliver the next generation of search.”
Have you ever tried the new Bing powered by ChatGPT? Then you can share your experience with us in the comment section.