Microsoft launched the new ChatGPT-powered Bing about a month ago, although not everyone can use it. Indeed, the new Bing is still in preview, with access limited only to those who have joined the waiting list. However, some users signed up with their Microsoft account weeks ago and still haven’t made it past the waitlist. Microsoft has a tip for these people.
According to Michael Schechter, vice president of growth for Bing at Microsoft, one of the reasons you’re stuck on the Bing waitlist is because your Microsoft account profile doesn’t include your birthday. Schechter also said Microsoft won’t approve user requests to try out the new Bing unless they update to include their dates of birth on the Microsoft account profile page.
However, many criticized Microsoft’s decision to offer ChatGPT-powered Bing access to those who use a birthday on their profile. A Twitter user said that Microsoft could have asked users to reveal their age when they signed up to try out the Bing experience instead of the birthday requirement on the Microsoft account profile page.
If you have been blocked on the @bing waitlisted for a while (and have 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 approve 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 market share. The software giant hopes to inspire more people to use Bing search with new features, including the upcoming “Celebrity” mode, where the bot will pose as celebrities 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 improve the Bing experience to “deliver the next generation of search.”
Have you ever tried the new Bing powered by ChatGPT? If so, you can share your experience with us in the comment section.