Microsoft uses Bing to trick people into thinking they’re on Google

Microsoft offers another trick to get people to use its Bing search engine. If you’re using Bing right now without signing in to a Microsoft account and search for Google, you’ll get a page that looks an awful lot like… Google.

This is a clear attempt by Microsoft to make Bing look like Google for this specific search query, and other searches simply list the usual Bing search results without this special interface. The Google result includes a search bar, an image that looks a lot like a Google Doodle, and even a little text below the search bar, just like Google does. Microsoft even automatically scrolls the page slightly to hide its own Bing search bar that appears at the top of search results.

While Bing still displays search results for Google under this spoofed Google UI, many people will see this interface when they set up a new PC and search for Google in the Microsoft Edge address bar. As 9to5Google points out, it’s a sneaky move by Microsoft to try to keep people using Bing instead of switching to Google.

Google also has its own notifications on its websites to encourage people to download Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge, but they are nowhere near as aggressive as Microsoft’s use of OS-level pop-ups and apps. website modifications.