Responses
I'm guessing this is what @rotten meant
https://hemantkhurana81.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/rojarajwed2008_14.jpg
NO. They don't bow. they just take the hand and put it on forehead. sometimes they kiss the hand (only for they relatives that is older such as they grandma, father, mother, sister or their aunty)
We don't "bise" only close friends... We'll "bise" anyone we know... At least, when we know their names. For example, we "bise" our parents' friends, even if we met them for the first time. We bise our friends' friends too.
And the number of "bise" is different according to the region. At Paris and in the North, we do 2 bises (some people say 4, but I've always done 2 bises, and all my friends too). That means that we kiss each cheek once. In the center of the France, they do 3 bises. In Paris, we start to kiss the right face of the person. In the south of France, they start by the left. So when you're not aware of those slightly differences, it can be pretty embarassing xD And you can be sure that you always forgot how many bises the other person will do, so you sometimes ignore him for the 3rd bise, or sometimes you get ignored, and it's absolutly ridiculous xD
... I just wanted to explain the subtility of the famous "bise" !