ChatGPT app gets web browsing — but only via Bing

ChatGPT on mobile can finally tap into the live internet, but there is a familiar catch. OpenAI just added a web browsing feature to its mobile app for paying users, and every single query runs exclusively through Microsoft Bing.

For anyone tired of running into the model's notorious knowledge cutoff, this update brings fresh air to the mobile experience. But tying the world's most popular chatbot strictly to one search engine also carries baggage.

Browsing arrives on iOS and Android

OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Plus subscribers can now turn on Browsing directly inside the mobile app. The rollout covers both iOS and Android users this week.

Turning it on is simple enough. Head into the New Features section in app settings, toggle the model switcher to GPT-4, and pick Browse with Bing from the dropdown.

Without this feature, ChatGPT's knowledge remains frozen in 2021. OpenAI pointed out that Browsing is designed specifically for queries about current events and recent information that falls outside the original training dataset.

Before this change, asking the app who won the 2023 March Madness women's tournament would either draw a blank or spit out a confident hallucination. Now, it fetches answers from live web pages.

OpenAI also tucked in a smaller quality-of-life update this week. When you tap on a search result inside the app, it now drops you straight into the exact point in the chat where that source was cited.

The Bing exclusivity problem

The business logic here is transparent. Microsoft poured more than $10 billion into OpenAI, so Bing naturally gets the exclusive front-row seat.

Yet locking users into Bing raises valid eyebrows. Bing has historically faced scrutiny over its search quality and rankings. A 2011 analysis suggested Bing favored Microsoft-related links over competitors, and a more recent Stanford study found that Bing's top search results contained an alarming volume of disinformation.

Microsoft is constantly tuning its algorithms behind the curtain. But when Bing misses the mark or pulls inaccurate data, mobile ChatGPT users simply have no alternative engine to switch to.

Why it matters

For Plus subscribers on the move, this feature turns ChatGPT from an offline encyclopedia into an actual research assistant. Being able to verify current facts on a phone without leaving the chat interface is genuinely useful, especially for writers, students, and professionals on the go.

For the search market, this cements the Microsoft-OpenAI alliance. Microsoft is not just funding OpenAI; it is using ChatGPT as a massive distribution pipeline to drive search traffic directly to Bing, putting pressure on Google's core business.

We think OpenAI made a smart product move by finally closing the mobile information gap, but locking the engine down feels restrictive. When AI relies entirely on a single gatekeeper for real-time facts, users inherit all the biases and quality gaps of that specific engine without any way to double-check.