Summary
- Microsoft removed its Google-like search box on Bing after being called out by the web and Google’s Chrome VP.
- Bing now displays a Google Search link as the first search result, eliminating confusion for users.
- Microsoft’s confusing tactic for users was exposed; it’s a small win for consumers.
A week ago, people started noticing that if you searched the word Google on Bing, you’d get a result displaying a search box that looked suspiciously like Google Search, complete with a doodle that looked just like one of Google’s. Why Microsoft was doing this was an easy guess, which is also why it comes as no surprise to learn Microsoft has since removed the suspicious-looking Google Search skin at the top of its Google search result.
So now, when you search for the word Google on Bing, you actually get the link to Google as the first result (instead of a search box mimicking Google’s look that directs you right back to Bing). Imagine that: a search engine actually serving up what you searched for, and in 2025, no less. How novel.
Microsft turns tail after being outed for mimicking Google Search
Is imitation the highest form of flattery or just a potential lawsuit?
The offending result ^ that is now gone
When news broke of Microsoft’s mimicry, Vice President and General Manager of Google Chrome, Parisa Tabriz, let loose a tweet on X calling out Bing’s flagrant tactic to keep its users off Google by confusing them. So perhaps it wasn’t the reporting from sites like AP, The Verge, and Windows Latest that caused the takedown, but the fact a senior Google employee in charge of Chrome called the company out.
As The Verge reported, Microsoft is no longer showing a search box that looks like Google Search when you search the word Google on Bing. We’ve checked, and every instance is gone from the app to the website. No fanfare was made of this event; no statement was offered, and the offending search box is simply gone, replaced with what should have always been the first result: a link to Google Search.
While it’s unlikely Microsoft will stop using its weight to push its users around, like the Windows 10 pop-ups harassing users to update devices they’ve been told for years won’t be allowed to update to Windows 11. Or the ads stuffed into Windows 11 (an OS we purchase, by the way, filled with ads), or the forced updates across Windows operating systems, or the many tricks used to try to get people to switch to the Edge browser. Microsoft’s tactics are clear, however unsavory, and for once, it would appear its anti-consumer actions have caught up with the company. It’s a small win to see Microsoft remove the feature in silence, and now Bing is better for it —score 1 for the consumer.
