Microsoft’s Bing browser to benefit after Google kills “view image” button

After Google removed the "view image" button from its image search results last week, other browsers like Microsoft's Bing and Startpage that allow download of high-resolution images with a right click, would likely see their users increase, according to media reports.

Google signed a multi-year global licensing deal with Getty Images, and removed the "view image" button. The move is expected to curb the lifting of copyrighted images from its platform (See: Google partners with Getty, removes ''View Image'' from results).

According to a BBC report, critics have flayed the changes as "awful", "user-unfriendly" and "degraded the product".

Talk about destroying your own successful service," one user tweeted.

Users have also suggested that people try rival image search engines such as Bing, which still has a "view image" button.

"Others pointed out that right-clicking an image in Google's Chrome browser, and clicking 'open image in new tab' replicated the missing function," the report added.

According to lifehacker.com frequent users of the feature can still get a similar experience through another search engine called Startpage.

Media reports suggest that Google will make copyright attribution and disclaimers more prominent in image search results.

"The change is essentially meant to frustrate users, The Verge reports. Google has long been under fire from photographers and publishers who felt that image search allowed people to steal their pictures, and the removal of the view image button is one of many changes being made in response."

At times, websites disable the ability to right click, too, which would make it even harder for someone to grab a photo they're looking for. Google has also  removed the 'search by image' button that appeared when people opened up an image.