Confirmed: Bing 411 Closing June 1st
Microsoft is closing down their toll-free voice search program named Bing 411. I have confirmed the Bing 411 service is closing by calling the service and hearing immediately the message: Bing 411: On June 1st, we are discontinuing the Bing 411 service. There were reports of this via LiveSide where they said they “received a […]
Microsoft is closing down their toll-free voice search program named Bing 411.
I have confirmed the Bing 411 service is closing by calling the service and hearing immediately the message:
Bing 411: On June 1st, we are discontinuing the Bing 411 service.
There were reports of this via LiveSide where they said they “received a tip” on this news. But this is indeed happening and Bing is closing down their 411 service.
Google shut down their GOOG-411 service back in 2010. Bing kept theirs live hoping to fill that void, but clearly with the rise of smartphones and voice search embedded on those devices, the need to dial an 800 number to do a search has become extinct.
Postscript: Bing has extended this service until July 1st to give their customers more time to transition elsewhere.
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In 2019, Barry was awarded the Outstanding Community Services Award from Search Engine Land, in 2018 he was awarded the US Search Awards the "US Search Personality Of The Year," you can learn more over here and in 2023 he was listed as a top 50 most influential PPCer by Marketing O'Clock.
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