Tab Searches on Mobile

[HeyU-notU-U]

Good morning...apparently Tabs have been removed from Mobile Bing sometime in the last month or so.

My wife, loves tabbed browsing and searching. She is frustrated that they are no longer available.

Her words, "It pretty much makes using Bing on my phone not worth it."

Tabbed searches were a positive differentiator when comparing Bing to Google. 

Has anyone figured out a way to get them back?

Even better, will the Bing team put them back?

Thanks!

[#2]

Hi,
I never had tabs in Bing search on mobile.
are you sure you are not referring to tabs on the browser?

[#3]

Hi @HotCakeX ,

Well, then, you missed out! 

I definitely am talking about tabs on Bing Mobile. I have an older phone and don't update the software very often. It still has the version of Bing Mobile with tabbed searching. It really does help when you are working on several things at once. My wife is jealous.

Thanks...

[#4]

Hi @HeyU-notU-U, I'd love to take a closer look into this! Can you tell me which version you're using by selecting profile > Settings> Build Version. Also, if you'd care to share any screenshots of the tab experience on your Bing app, that would be very helpful. 

Thanks,

Alyxandria (she/her)
Community Manager - Bing Insiders

[#5]

Of Bing app, i thought you're talking about Bing website.

[#6]

Hi @Alyxe

She is running build 21.0.390118302 on Android. I don't have any screen caps, but this is an example of what she would do. 

Restaurants: BTW, the new Bing app took away the Restaurants button. Why?? She would hit that button. Bing showed restaurants around her. She'd click on one to look at which would open a new tab with that restaurant. Leaving that open, she'd go back to the main page and click on another which would open a new tab. Rinse, repeat. She might open 6 or 7 restaurant tabs and then flip back and forth to make a dining decision. 

She would do something similar for shopping online. Find sites that offer the product she was looking for. Then, she'd flip between the tabs to find the deal she wanted with the shipping she wanted, etc.

Tabs are gone, so she can't do that any more. The Restaurant button is gone, so she can't do that any more. Hence, her comment, "It pretty much makes using Bing on my phone not worth it."

I appreciate you looking into this and look forward to learning what you find out.

[#7]

@HeyU-notU-U thanks for that description! Just to clarify, can you still use this feature on the Bing App on your own device? 

Alyxandria (she/her)
Community Manager - Bing Insiders

[#8]

@Alyxe 

Yes, I can use BOTH features on my device which I have not updated to the latest Bing App. 

Search Tabs and the Restaurants button.

Thanks!

[#9]

@HeyU-notU-U, Ah! Ok, can you grab screenshots of this from your device and provide me with the version number of the app your running? 

Thank you,

Alyxandria (she/her)
Community Manager - Bing Insiders

[#10]

@Alyxe 

I am on build 11.7.28247601, OPALAND.

I am unable to get screen captures. Bing appears to be blocking them. I get an error saying, "Unable to capture screenshot. Prevented by security policy". I am able to capture screenshots of other apps as well as the "desktop". Why does Bing block screenshots?

Thanks...

[#11]

@HeyU-notU-U, interesting. I don't run into that error when I take a screenshot. What device are you using? 

Alyxandria (she/her)
Community Manager - Bing Insiders

[#12]

@Alyxe maybe we're getting off in the weeds? The issue is about missing Search Tabs and Restaurant button.

Is there something about my description of what she did that doesn't make sense? If so, I'll try to clarify.

I don't have time right now, but I'll see if I can figure out the screen shot issue later. I'll send them when I get it figured out.

In the mean time...let's see what we can do about getting the Search Tabs and Restaurant button back. 

[#13]

@HeyU-notU-U I can submit your feedback to the developers. However, knowing which device or at least the operating system you're using would give them a frame reference for your version number. 

Also, without knowing your device type or operating system I can't speak towards the issue you're experiencing with screenshots. 

Alyxandria (she/her)
Community Manager - Bing Insiders

[#14]

@Alyxe 

I'm sorry...thought you were trying to solve the screenshot issue.

Her phone is a Samsung A21 running Android 10.

I'll work on the screenshots later and get them to you when I figure it out.

Thanks!

[#15]

Hi @Alyxe 

After spending a very long time searching for a resolution or workaround, I discovered why Bing has screenshots blocked. It generates many, many more searches to try to figure it out! 

Seriously, I spent a ton of time on it. Even tried AirDroid to see if I could capture the screen that way. In the end, I used my wife's phone to take a picture of my phone. Attached, you'll find 3 pics.

Tabs.jpg shows the tabs screen...I had 8 open at the time. 

Rest.jpg shows the Restaurants button on the main screen. Tap it and Bing brings up Restaurants Near Me. Nice not to have to type all that in.

In Tabs.jpg, you'll see one tab that says Restaurants. Well, I did a Restaurants near Redmond, Wa search there. Then, I opened a tab for several of them. Matador.jpg is one of those tabs. Is the food good there? 

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you need any further information.

[#16]

Hi @Alyxe ,

Wondering if you have heard anything back on your investigation into this.

Thanks!

[#17]

Hi @HeyU-notU-U I'm still working on this! If you could confirm your device type and operating system that would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

I also want to recap to make sure we're both on the same page:

Both you and your wife use the Bing App. You both were able to use tab browsing in the Bing App until your wife updated her Bing App. Now she cannot use tab browsing on the Bing App, but you can.

[#18]

@Alyxe Thanks for keeping it on your radar. I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android 6.0.1 (don't laugh).

And, yes, you are correct...

Both my wife and I use the Bing App. We both were able to use tab browsing in the Bing App until my wife updated her Bing App. Now she cannot use tab browsing on the Bing App, but I can.

Thanks!

[#19]

@HeyU-notU-U I just got word back. Looks like the multiple tab feature will be coming back soon!

[#20]

Hey @Alyxe ... thank you very much for the great news! Any idea how soon? Thanks, again!