Microsoft’s latest update to its Bing search app for iOS devices includes a nifty new feature: image search.
Thanks to the update, iPhone users can now search for similar images on the web using photos uploaded from their photo library.
The image search is similar to the reverse image search feature offered by Google on its web browser, but the latter tech giant doesn’t offer the feature on its iOS app. Amazon also offers a reverse image search feature on its iOS app to let users shop using their device camera.
Bing’s new feature can be accessed through the regular search icon on the home screen via a click on camera icon to the right of the text input box. When selecting a photo to search, users can manipulate a frame on the image to hone in on the part of the image they want to search.
According to some early tests, Bing’s image search certainly works but is far from perfect. The Wall Street Journal reported the image search recognized iconic images – like Citi Field in New York and a Star Wars stormtrooper – but had more difficulty returning relevant results for a submitted photo of sneakers. An image search of a dog pulled results of dogs with similar coloring, but couldn’t peg the breed, the report said.
No word yet on when the feature may be brought to Android devices or those running Microsoft’s own operating system.