If you listened in to The Vergecast a few weeks in the past, you would possibly bear in mind a sidebar dialogue on how Android and Windows customers within the EU are prompted to decide on a default search engine to adjust to antitrust laws. “Nothing in the world can make you pick Bing,” mentioned The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel with utter certainty. He then invited Vergecast listeners who truly select Microsoft’s search engine over Google’s to put in writing to him: “if you’re a Bing-by-choice kind of person, let me know.”

As it seems, a few of our listeners are straight-up enthusiastic Bing customers. “I know you were joking but I wanted to reach out,” a listener named Jimmy wrote in an electronic mail to Nilay. Jimmy says he switched to Microsoft’s search engine greater than three years in the past and even makes use of it as default in Safari for iPhone and iPad.

“I’m probably one of the few that willingly uses Bing!” wrote one other listener named Kaval, proclaiming that they’ve been utilizing Bing because the days of the Windows Phone. “…[T]o be honest I enjoy it. As far as search results go, it doesn’t significantly vary with Google.”

There are all kinds of rationales folks use for why they search with Bing. Here are among the causes Vergecast listeners gave.

Sticking it to Google

Google is unmatched by way of search engine recognition however is at the moment being monitored carefully for its anticompetitively dominant place in search promoting after years of counting on third-party cookies.

“I didn’t want Google to have all my info any longer,” Jimmy wrote, believing that Bing works nice more often than not and solely returns to Google a couple of times every week. “But mostly, it was about saying no to Google.”

Jimmy isn’t alone in being averse to the search large attributable to privateness considerations; some customers have even filed lawsuits in opposition to Google for allegedly accumulating copious consumer knowledge, even when it shouldn’t.

“Maybe once or twice a week I feel like I can’t get the results I want and I repeat my search on Google. Otherwise, it works great,” wrote Jimmy. Another listener named Evan additionally mentioned Bing searches work “95 percent as well as Google” however would not ship Google their knowledge. Evan did acknowledge it’s Microsoft that now has the info, although. “I wouldn’t die on this hill, but Bing is fine. I don’t have a relationship with my search engine.”

Microsoft Rewards plus Xbox makes folks go Bing

It’s all concerning the rewards! The majority of Vergecast listeners that emailed (and tweeted) talked about that Microsoft Rewards is their primary motive to make use of Bing. Xbox avid gamers particularly appear to find it irresistible, redeeming factors gained from Bing searches for perpetual months of the Game Pass subscription service.

Microsoft permits you to redeem factors for not solely Microsoft merchandise but additionally for reward playing cards at many various retailers, together with Starbucks and Amazon. You can redeem factors as donations in direction of charities or you’ll be able to enter sweepstakes to win something from Surface tablets to a visit to the NBA finals. There’s even a Bing Rebates program that gives money again for making purchases with partnered firms.

“If a company is going to data mine me, I might as well get something out of it,” Kaval wrote. Exchanging knowledge for merchandise / cash isn’t far off from how customers of the net browser Brave assume. Brave customers can change their knowledge for tokens and might money it out or immediately fund on-line creators.

Those are some fairly wallpapers

Believe it or not, Bing customers love the day by day picture characteristic. Multiple Vergecast listeners additionally chimed in concerning the wallpapers particularly: “I really enjoy the new background every day,” Kaval wrote.

Bing’s homepage at all times has a background picture — often one thing scenic with an outline and informative hyperlinks on it. In distinction, Google’s fundamental web page is historically clear with simply the brand and a search field on a white background.

Image: miralex/Getty Images through Microsoft Bing

You may even obtain the wallpaper and apply it to your pc. Unfortunately, a Microsoft Bing watermark does get added.

It’s, uh, higher at some picture searches

In the early days of Bing, there was a deal with the event of a complete picture search. High-resolution photographs might simply be scouted for all through the web and introduced in a delightful thumbnail gallery with a method that adopted within the footsteps of the favored picture website Flickr in 2012. It ultimately caught on that Bing was the perfect alternative for pornographic picture searches.

Microsoft most likely didn’t intend on turning into the vacation spot for pores and skin searches, however it could develop into a extremely regarding subject. In 2019, TechCrunch reported that Bing was suggesting CSAM materials in its searches, which Microsoft instantly put an engineering group on the case to repair.

People utilizing Bing for express picture searches additionally brought about some complications for Apple. In 2016, with the discharge of iOS 10, Apple added GIF replies in iMessage that included a search operate. The characteristic, powered by Bing, was returning some queries with hardcore pornography.

Good by being the default

Another Vergecast listener named Logan wrote to Nilay about the way it’s simple to hit the Windows button on a PC and simply begin typing what you’re searching for — citing outcomes for issues in your pc and on Bing. That’s as a result of Bing is the default seek for not solely the Edge browser but additionally for the Windows search operate. “When I downloaded Edge to try it out Bing was the default search, so I decided to try it out,” wrote Evan.

Microsoft has the most well-liked pc OS and might leverage that to get extra folks to make use of Bing. And many customers are content material with that push. “Most of the time on Windows, using anything other than the default is a worse experience,” Logan wrote.

As the results of Bing being the default, many customers simply find yourself utilizing it as a result of it’s the trail of least resistance. Still, that’s not stopping all customers from utilizing Google; the search large’s title is outwardly probably the most searched time period on Bing.

Okay, you all have satisfied me

I’m not Nilay, however after studying all of your causes, I’ve determined to offer Bing a shot. I went to the positioning and logged in with my Microsoft account, which knowledgeable me that I’ve accrued 288 factors — maybe from my Series X buy on the Microsoft Store final yr.

Microsoft was not satisfied I’m severe sufficient but, so it additionally knowledgeable me that utilizing the Microsoft Edge net browser will “maximize your earning!” I didn’t really feel like switching net browsers proper now, however simply downloading Edge appeared to be sufficient to earn me one other 5 factors; thanks, Microsoft!

I continued in Safari on my Mac and scrolled down, testing the most recent information, latest homepage photographs (hey, the photographs are fairly dope), a “this day in history” characteristic, and eventually a rundown of my present Microsoft Rewards stats. And on the very backside, there was a giant button titled “Make Bing your homepage” together with a message to persuade me to observe by way of:

Experience magnificence every single day
Never miss a second and hold search at your fingertips. Just set Bing as your browser’s homepage with just a few simple steps!

Feeling unhealthy about not putting in Edge and conserving the factors, I went forward and clicked the button and was taken to a web page that’s straight giving Windows Vista vibes seems. There’s one other button there marked “Make Bing my homepage” together with a examine field for making Bing my default search engine. I took a deep breath, occupied with how I used to be about to affix the handfuls of Bing customers on a quest to get the products like 8 percent cash back at sendflowers.com proper earlier than Valentine’s Day, and I click on the button.

For some motive, this motion downloaded an executable DefaultPack.EXE on my Mac that doesn’t work, which is complicated. Maybe I ought to Google what to do with the file.