Bing for iPhone gains private mode, revamped Image search, app links in search results and more

Bing 5.5 for iOS Private Search Mode iPhone screenshot 001

Microsoft today refreshed Bing for iPhone, adding more than half a dozen useful new features and enhancements, beginning with the Private Search Mode which will not remember your search history and sites you have visited.

Other new features include better management of your search history settings, the ability to launch native iPhone applications right from the search results page, inline previews of clips in Video search and more.

The new version of Bing features a vastly improved image search experience. You can now scroll or swipe up after you have tapped on an image in Image search to get useful information.

The new image search is now overlaying the information previously showed below the image. Here’s a video overview of the new Image search experience.

And after you scroll, Bing will show you (if available) the following:

  • Places to buy the product in the image (beta). For some product images, we will show you where to buy the item. This feature is still in beta but is the first peek into the types of things we could enable our customers to do with image searches. We’re focused on more precisely detecting pages where you can purchase a product, adding more information for each source, and many other experience improvements. 
  • Related searches based on the image to help you discover more images like the one you found.
  • Pinterest collections with this image to help you locate other images pinned by people who also loved and pinned this one. We’re starting with Pinterest but plan on expanding out to other sites over time.
  • More sizes of the image available from across the web.
  • Pages with this image where you may be able to find more information or take actions related to the image. If the image is of food, one of these pages might contain a recipe. If the image is a location, the page may have more travel information.

Try it out yourself by clicking on any image.

Additional details on the new search experience can be found at the Bing blog.

Moreover, Microsoft yesterday introduced new ways to search images faster, without typing, across Bing’s web app on iOS and Android devices in mobile browsers.

Bing 5.5 for iOS Image search iPhone screenshot 001

Bing now supports the new emoji characters provided in iOS 8.3.

“We were happy to see several new emojis in the iOS 8.3 update, since we made it possible for our users to search the web using emojis last year,” noted the Windows maker. “Now you can search using the newly added emojis as well as the old ones.”

Bing 5.5 for iOS Emoji in search iPhone screenshot 001

As mentioned before, it’s now possible to launch native iPhone applications right from Bing’s search results page, without having to leave the app. “You can now go beyond web search and find what you need in your favorite apps,” the team said.

Bing 5.5 for iOS app launching iPhone screenshot 001

On the example screenshot above, Bing serves up the Open button allowing you to launch Amazon’s IMDb for iPhone app, if installed, when searching for movies. “This is just a beginning, and we’re excited to continue making it simpler for our users to navigate between web and apps with little friction,” said the firm.

Bing 5.5 for iOS Inline video previews iPhone screenshot 001

And lastly, video snippet previews now play inline, meaning you can continue looking through your search results while the snippet is playing.

Bing 5.5 for iPhone changelog:

  • Take control of your privacy:
    • Keep your searches private in Private Search Mode.
    • Manage your search history: clear everything or specific searches.
  • New ways to experience search:
    • Go beyond web search and find what you need in your favorite apps
    • New image search experience
    • In-line previews in Video search
    • New Bing Rewards card to track your points
  • Numerous bug fixes

These new features were not rolled out to Bing for iPad, however.

Latest stats from ComScore ranked Bing as having a twenty percent search marketshare in the United States, a new high for the Microsoft-operated search engine.

Bing for iPhone is available free in the App Store.

Bing for iPad is free in the App Store.