From Google’s “mic drop” to YouTube’s “Rick Roll,” check out some of the most memorable April Fools’ Day pranks from tech companies.
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Google is no stranger to pulling off some April Fool’s Day pranks. In fact, the search engine giant has a long history of trolling its users on April 1st. From fictitious product announcements to “evil” doodles, Google has done it all. Here are some of our favorite Google April Fool’s Day jokes.
Gmail Motion
On March 31, 2011, Gmail announced a new feature called “Gmail Motion”, which would allow users to control Gmail with body gestures. The announcement video demonstrated various gestures, such as typing by finger-spelling and arching one’s back to hit the “send” button. The video claimed the feature would be available “soon”.
Google Nose
On April 1, 2013, Google Nose was announced as a new innovative feature that would allow users to smell the internet. The program supposedly used special olfactory-detecting Street Sense Vehicles to map smells and add them to the Google database. Google Nose beta was said to have 15 million Scentiments, or scent-based micro-blogging posts, and over 500,000 fragranceable locations.
Facebook Timeline
Facebook’s Timeline feature was introduced on April 1, 2012, as a mockery of the then-new Facebook Timeline feature. When a user hovered their mouse over the profile picture, it would be “scanned” and a message would appear saying “Shouldn’t you be working?” or “Generating profile…” as if it were loading the user’s Timeline. The date on the left side was changed to “Years of Procrastination”, and stayed that way regardless of how long the mouse was hovered over the profile picture. The option to add a “Life Event” was also changed to “Wasted an Entire Afternoon”, with the subtext reading “Procrastinated on Facebook”. The friends list was also changed, with famous procrastinators such as Homer Simpson, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Garfield appearing at the top.
Facebook Poke
Facebook Poke was a April Fools’ Day joke created by Facebook in 2009. It was a reference to the poke feature on Facebook. The poke feature allows users to send a virtual “poke” to another user. The poke can be used to mean many things, such as “hello,” “I’m thinking of you,” or “you’re cute.”
On April 1, 2009, Facebook created a new feature called Facebook Poke. This new feature allowed users to poke other Facebook users with their phones. If you were poked by someone, you would feel a slight vibration on your phone.
The Facebook Poke was only available for 24 hours, and then it was removed. However, it is still possible to poke someone on Facebook if you go to their profile and click on the “Poke” button.
Tweeting in Morse Code
Did you know that you can tweet in Morse code? Just head to your settings and enable the “Morse code” option under “ language.” Once you do, all of your tweets will automatically be translated into Morse code!
Twitter Verified Accounts
Twitter has long been known for its verification system, which allows users to verify their identity and authenticity. But on April 1st, the social media giant took things one step further, announcing that it would be verifying all accounts – even those of fictional characters.
The move was met with mixed reactions, with some users finding it amusing and others fearing that it would add to the already high levels of fake news on the platform. However, Twitter was quick to assuage these concerns, saying that the verification process would be rigorous and that only verified accounts would be allowed to Tweet.
So far, the response to the new system has been largely positive, with many users finding it easier to find and follow the accounts of their favorite fictional characters. Only time will tell if this new system is here to stay or if it’s just another April Fools’ joke.
On April 1st, LinkedIn users were in for a treat when the site announced a new feature called “Intro”. LinkedIn promised that this new feature would help users connect with other professionals in their field by giving them a “short, informative introduction”. However, when users tried to use the feature, they were instead greeted by a series of random questions such as “What is your favorite color?” and “What is your spirit animal?”. Needless to say, the feature was quickly scrapped andLinkedIn issued an apology to its users.
Every year on April 1st, companies across the world release special April Fools jokes and pranks. This year, Pinterest is no exception! Check out some of the best April Fools jokes from Pinterest below.
Pinterest for Men
On April 1st, 2014, Pinterest unveiled a new version of their site specifically for men. The site, called “Pinterest For Men”, featured a more macho color scheme of red and black, and sections such as “Man Cave Ideas”, “Dad Skills”, and “Gadgets & Tech”. The site was only live for a few hours before Pinterest admitted it was an April Fool’s joke.
