List of Google April Fools' Day jokes

Piano & Guitar Analytics Playback

Google Analytics allows the user to playback their website statistics on piano and guitar.

Google Racing

Google announced a partnership with NASCAR to help create self-driving vehicles to compete in stock car racing.[135] The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on Google's site was also changed to "I'm Steering Lucky."[136]

Gmail Tap

Gmail Tap for Android and iOS doubles typing speed with a revolutionary new keyboard.[137] The system involves a keyboard with three keys: Morse code "dash" and "dot", and a spacebar (along with backspace). Shortly before midnight, on March 31, 2012, added Gmail Tap[138] – Android and iOS Application utilizing Morse Code instead of onscreen keyboard. Selecting Download App for Your Phone[139] produces the message: "Oops! Gmail Tap is a bit too popular right now. We suggest you try downloading it again on April 2nd." Clicking the Retry[140] button will produce "It's still April 1st, 2012. You'll have to wait till April 2nd to download Gmail Tap." After clicking the retry button the page will say "Still trying to download Gmail Tap? Check back next April 1st to see if it is available...you never know.".[141] On Gmail's Facebook page,[142] they also posted about a Morse keyboard.[143] Finally, at the Google I/O 2018, Google announced that they will be adding morse code input to its mobile keyboard. The company announced the new feature at Google I/O after showing a video of Tania Finlayson.

Really Advanced Search

A link on the bottom of search results pages titled Really Advanced Search[144] takes users to a search page where they can filter their search results by, among other things, subtext or innuendo, page font (Comic Sans or Wingdings), loanword origin, or future modification date. Clicking on the "Advanced Search" button to actually run the search query redirects users to search results for "April Fools'".[145]

Click-to-Teleport Extensions

Click-to-Teleport extensions[146] allow potential customers to instantly teleport to the business location directly from a search ad in a matter of seconds. This teleportation technology shortens the "online-to-store" conversion funnel by providing searchers with an easy way to visit any business and convert. On average, advertisers using Click-to-Teleport extensions have seen their offline sales increase by 3600%.[147]

GoRo

Solving the increasingly frustrating problem of accessing mobile internet on rotary phones across the US, Google is announcing GoRo.[148] GoRo aims to fix the problem that 100% of people using rotary phones have trouble accessing a website.

Jargon-Bot for Google Apps

Jargon-Bot[149] instantly recognizes business terms and provides real-time, in-product jargon translation into plain English.[150]

Google TV Click

Innovative remote control application for phone and tablet lets users interact with shows and movies as they are playing.[151]

Google Voice for Pets

Google introduced special Voice Communication Collars that fit around animal necks and use a series of sensors to record audio directly from animal vocal cords. Using a WiFi network, audio messages are uploaded to Google Voice within seconds. Alternately, a tiny micro-LED emitter built into the collar can project a keyboard onto the floor, so the animal pet can tap its front paws to send text messages. To understand animal language, Google took their voicemail transcription engine and combined it with millions of adorable pet videos from the Internet, training it to translate cat meows or dog growls into English.[152]

$1 Google Offer for Parking Karma

Google offers a service for identifying available parking spaces.[153] The service provides the following features:

• 1) prime spots when you need them,
• 2) repels parking tickets,
• 3) includes 1 space buffer on each side,
• 4) shopping cart protection plan,
• 5) no parallel parking for first 6 months.

Canine Staffing Team

Google revealed that dogs at Google offices go through the same detailed recruitment and hiring process by Canine Staffing Team as human Googlers do before being welcomed to the Googleplex.[154]

Analytics Interplanetary Reports

While currently users can only get a partial picture of website visitor location, Google Analytics is expanding beyond Earth by announcing new Analytis Interplanetary Reports to help users understand visitor activities from neighboring stars and planets. Users will also be able to drill down on each planet to see greater detail, e.g. which colony or outpost visitors came from, similar to the city drill down available for Earth today.[155]

"Did you mean: Beyonce" and Kanye West in the Play Music Store

Kanye West bugdroid appeared in the Play Music Store. While searching anything, "Did you mean: Beyonce" came up every time.

Google Edible fiber

Google released a video[156] on YouTube claiming it invented an edible fiber which could "take feedback from the body, determine which nutrients are needed and target delivery to the specific organs that need those nutrients". The video actually links to Google Fiber, a broadband internet service by Google.

YouTube contest for the best video

In YouTube's sixth April Fools' prank, YouTube joined forces with The Onion, a newspaper satire company, by claiming that it will "no longer accept new entries". YouTube began the process of selecting a winner on April 1, 2013, and would delete everything else. YouTube would go back online in 2023 to post the winning video and nothing else.[157] After that, on April 1, 2013, YouTube briefly repeated the "YouTube Collection" joke from April 1, 2012. They also broadcast a live ceremony in which two "submission coordinators" continuously read off the titles and descriptions of random videos (the "nominees") for twelve straight hours, claiming they would do hold the same ceremony every day for the next two years.[158]

Treasure Hunt on Google Maps

Google Maps allows the user to start a treasure hunt by selecting the "Treasure" view from the top right. Google Maps notes that the "system may not be able to display at higher resolutions than paper print" and that the user should "take care when unfolding the map to avoid ripping it." Also, the user is warned to 'beaware [sic] of pirates'. In reference to the TV show Portlandia, an image of a bird was placed on Portland, Oregon. While in this mode, Pegman is replaced with a telescope, thus giving the effect of looking through an old telescope when using Street View.

• Explore Treasure Mode with Google Maps[159]

Improved Google Play Developer Console

The addition of an "Add new awesome application" button.[160]

Google Japanese Input Patapata Version

Google introduces a new Japanese input system.[161] Users repeatedly tap a single button to cycle through different letters. A brief pause confirms the current letter and advances the cursor to begin entering the next one.

The name "Patapata" likely references a Japanese word for Split-flap display, onomatopoeically dubbed "Patapata-shiki" for its distinctive fluttering sound when updating. Another possibile explanation is then the video game Patapon, "Pata" is one of the sounds made with a drum (fitting, as the announcement video also mentions the, “Google Japanese Input Drum Set Version,”, joke from 2010.).

Gmail Blue

Gmail is now the color blue.[162] Coincidentally, Google would eventually go on to release Inbox by Gmail which features a similar interface to Gmail, only blue.

Google SCHMICK (Simple Complete House Makeover Internet Conversion Kit)

Google SCHMICK allows the user to redesign his or her street viewed house so that the user can "fly the Australian flag" outside the user's house.[163]

Google Fiber Poles

Google Fiber to the Pole provides gigabit connectivity to fiberhoods across Kansas City. This latest addition to Google Fiber technology enables users to access Google Fiber's gigabit speeds, even when they are not in a fixed location.[164]

Google Wallet Mobile ATM

Google announced the release of the Google Wallet Mobile ATM. The mobile ATM device easily attaches to most smartphones and dispenses money instantly and effortlessly – forever ending the user's search for the nearest bank or ATM. The Google Wallet Mobile ATM technology allows the user to enter the amount of money they want to withdraw directly to a phone or use voice-activated dispenser. Unlike traditional ATM's, the Google Wallet Mobile ATM even dispenses rare two and fifty dollar bills, as well as more practical one dollar bills.[165]

Levity Algorithm in Google Apps

Google introduces the Levity Algorithm in Google Apps to help users spice up even the most boring of work days.[166]

Updated Export and Send-To features on Google Analytics

Google updated the Export and Send-To features for Google Analytics to give users more options and support for some legacy technologies: 3.5" floppy, CD-ROM, papyrus, sticky note, carrier pigeon, fax, telegram, and telegraph.[167]

Self-Writing Code Program

Google developed a program capable of generating code automatically. As a result, engineers may spend less time writing code directly and more time on other activities such as collaboration with colleagues, attending talks or events on campus, or participating in workplace amenities. The company has stated that it encourages employees to maintain a balance between their professional responsibilities and personal life.[168]

Google Search Cold Trends

The concept of "cold searches" refers to topics with low search volume on Google. These searches relate to subjects that receive limited attention.[169]

Google Nose

Google announces a new "Google Nose" feature, which adds scents to items in the Google Knowledge Graph. Users can click a "Smell" button on select items to experience scents directly through their existing desktop computer, laptop, or mobile device.[170] The launch was announced on YouTube with title Introducing Google Nose of Google's official YouTube channel.

Software Dogengineer

Google created an entry in their careers page looking for a dogengineer.

Google Maps Pokémon Challenge

Google joined forces with The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, and Nintendo to develop a new Google Maps app for the iOS and Android, which allowed users to capture Pokémon while exploring the real world using Google Maps.[171] The concept of the app would later be refined and released as Pokémon Go in 2016.[172]

Gmail Selfie

Based on the popularity of adding pictures of oneself as a Gmail custom theme, Google launches a feature to share that custom theme (of one's self) with their friends.[173]

Nest + Virgin

After acquiring Nest Labs in early 2014, Google teamed up with Virgin Airlines about the latest in-flight feature. Passengers on the Virgin Airlines aircraft have the ability to change their personal temperature on the plane using their latest Total Temperature Control.[174]

Google Japanese Input: Magic Hand Version

There are many problems with inputting Japanese on a mobile device using one's finger – so Google has introduced the *Magic Hand* to solve them.[175]

Emojify the Web

Google Translate support for Emoji is built directly into Chrome for Android and iOS. One can now read all their favorite Web content "using efficient and emotive illustrations, instead of cumbersome text." Google's translation algorithm interprets not just the definition of the words on a webpage, but also their context, tone, and sometimes even facial expression in order to convert them into symbols. "Not only does this pictorial and theatrical language allow us to communicate complex emotions, it's also far more compact. One Emoji symbol can easily replace dozens of characters, improving efficiency and comprehension on the go. It turns out the best way to communicate in the future is to look to the past: the ancient Egyptians were really onto something with their hieroglyphs."[176]

Auto-Awesome Photobombs with David Hasselhoff

Google announced on the Official Google Blog that they would randomly insert David Hasselhoff into Google+ photos via the Auto-Awesome feature.[177]

WazeDates

'WazeDates' uses the same crowdsourcing technology designed to help drivers around the world outsmart traffic, while creating a new space for people to meet and fall in love.[178]

Upcoming Viral Video Trends

In March 2014, YouTube announced that they write, shoot, and upload all of the world's most popular viral videos, and that this year they're accepting viral video ideas from YouTube users.[179]

AutoAwesome for Resumes

Google announced that it's rolling out special effects for Resumes on Google Drive.[180]

Qwerty Cats Chrome Extension

The Chromium team releases a QWERTY virtual keyboard for cats on the Chrome Web Store.[181]

Coffee to the Home

Google Fiber launches Coffee to the Home (CTTH) program for Kansas City residents; delivering made-to-order coffee drinks straight to users at fiber speeds—through the same fiber jack that delivers 100 times faster Internet.[182]

AdBirds

Google AdWords team now released AdBirds, a new way to show ads. The user has six birds (Sparrow, Duck, Owl, Pigeon, Eagle and Penguin) to choose from, and they add in a little bit of text before setting the bird free into the world, for everyone to see their ad.[183]

Google Apps for Business Dogs

Google announced that they're launching a suite of features to make Google Apps more useful for Dogs in the workplace. Features include Dmail with translation, Hangouts with Bark Enhancement, and paw recognition technology.[184]

Google Analytics Academy: Data-less Decision Making

Google announced a web course on how to "make uninformed business decisions on a whim by following gut instincts and applying simple guesswork techniques."[185]

Helpouts by Google: Helpouts from a Pirate

Scowlin' Guideon Scabb the Beardless helps one hone their pirate vocabulary 1 on 1 over live video.[186]

AdSenses on planets and moon

Now interplanetary IP addresses are interpreted. "With our recent discovery of the interplanetary IP address repository, you'll have access to even more reports that can help you improve user engagement on your site. For example, if you notice a lot of traffic coming from Mars, try adding more pages in Martian to engage with those audiences."[187][188]

Google Play Signature Edition

Signature Apps lets developers ship their work directly to customers on a thumbdrive inside a special package ready for unboxing, preferably "using natural sources of locomotion such as biking and walking" to reduce the environmental impact. The dev console includes settings for shipping apps, an explanation of the value add, and a reminder to sign apps on a piece of paper or electronically to give them more authenticity. Unfortunately, hitting the Save button doesn't work.[189]

Chromecast for squirrels

Google says it is working with "developers of 'paw-friendly' apps to build Chromecast support into more of the apps and websites both humans and squirrels love."[190][191]

Pac-Maps

Google added a "Pac-Man View" to Google Maps, allowing users to play Pac-Man along real world streets. The bell and key were replaced by the map marker and the Street View "pegman" respectively. Created by John Tantalo, a software engineer at Google, and his wife Mary Radcliffe, an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Washington, Pac-Maps remained available for about ten days.[192]

Ingress Pacman

Niantic Labs, a startup internal to Google, added Pacman to the Ingress scanner.[193]

#ChromeSelfie

Google added a "Share a reaction" button to the Chrome mobile app menu, which lets the user take a half-selfie, half-screenshot picture of the current-viewing site and then share it, offering to use the Hashtag #ChromeSelfie.[194]

Smartbox by Inbox by Gmail by Google

Google announced a Smart Mailbox for a user's physical mail, with auto-sorting folders, push notifications, temperature control, spam protection and more.[195]

com.google

Google launched com.google, a version of Google Search in which the site is reflected horizontally.[196] This was the company's first usage of the .google top-level domain.[197] The site is no longer active.[198]

Google Fiber Dial Up Mode

Google Fiber launched dial up mode which slows a user's life down, "to pause and take care of the little things".[199]

Darude – Sandstorm

On many song-related searches on YouTube and Twitter, it suggests Sandstorm by Darude. It also adds its button to any video that plays its sequence.[200] This joke was a reference to the Internet phenomenon associated with the song.

Google Panda

Product manager for Google Search launched Google Panda, a panda plush toy aimed to 'change the face' of Google Search. State of the art emotional and conversational intelligence allows the panda to respond to their human and answer any question just as a user would on Google Search or Google Now using the voice search feature.[201]

Equator Slipping: Australia to become Northern Hemisphere

Google Maps engineers from the Google Sydney office 'discovered' that the Earth's equator was slipping south at a rate of 25 km per year. This was backed by evidence from Veritasium's Derek Muller, measuring the movements of the Milankovitch cycles, which predicted "the northernmost point of Australia, Cape York could enter the Northern Hemisphere as soon as 2055."[202]

Google Actual Cloud Platform

The Google Actual Cloud Platform is the world's first public cloud running on servers in the troposphere.[203]

Google Keyboardless Keyboard

Google Japan announced a keyboard shaped like a party horn that a user blows in order to type.[204]

Quantum Code Testing

The Google testing blog announced that it has radically simplified software testing by being able to model every possible state of a software application by employing quantum superposition techniques.[205]

Gmail Mic Drop

A new feature was added to Gmail called "Mic Drop", which archived the email message as soon as it was sent and inserted a GIF of a Minion from the Despicable Me film series.[206] However, the feature immediately caused backlash. Many people complained about accidentally sending the GIF to people at businesses, which resulted in some people being dropped from job consideration or even being fired. Google removed the feature not long after, citing those reasons and a bug that caused the GIF to be sent after hitting the regular send button.[207][208]

Google Cloud Style Detection API

Google Cloud announced a new Machine Learning API called Style Detection, which allowed automatic identification and categorization of the fashion metadata in a given image. The YouTube video featured several members of the Google Cloud team and was shot in the Spear St. San Francisco office. Obviously, there are still details to iron out.[209][210]

Searchable Socks

Google Australia announced a new product called Searchable Socks, a pair of socks which if lost could be found using the Google app. When the user taps the beacon on the Google app, the sock would then play the Trololo song.[211]

Google Maps Disco

Google Maps features a video with the Pegman from Street View disco dancing.[212]

Parachutes by Google Express

As stated in the description of the YouTube video Google uploaded promoting this service: "Google Express offers fast delivery of things you need from stores you love. With our new delivery technology, packages will arrive even faster and land anywhere you want them – whether at the beach, in the woods, or even on a run."[213]

Google Cardboard Plastic

Google announced a transparent plastic version of the Google Cardboard viewer without a smartphone slot, making a user see real life through it instead.[214]

YouTube SnoopaVision

YouTube launched the SnoopaVision feature, which allows users to watch videos in 360 degrees. The feature gets its name from Snoop Dogg, who was hired by Google to sponsor the project by appearing on announcements, but ended up being a "true leader" of it.[215]

Google Self-Driving Bike

Google Netherlands announced Google Self-Driving bike inspired by their self-driving cars. Deputy mayor Kajsa Ollongren of Amsterdam also made an appearance in the video.[216]

Physical Flick Japanese Input

Google Japan announced that it had been working hard to bring the flick actions of its virtual Japanese input to the real world.[217]

Inbox by Gmail Emoji Smart Reply

The Gmail team announced it had added "sass" to Inbox by Gmail's smart reply feature, now including emoji in its one-click responses.[218]

Interplanetary app publishing

In the app publishing process the "Pricing & Distribution" section contained a blue box entitled "DISTRIBUTE TO THESE PLANETS" containing a list of planets from Mercury through to Pluto. Pluto had been crossed out and a note appended which read "No longer supported." A "Learn more" caption was provided which linked to a blog post by Lily Sheringham.[219]

Google X New Chief Compression Officer

Google X announced that they hired Richard Hendricks (from HBO's TV show, Silicon Valley) as their Chief Compression Officer, in order to solve compression challenges they were facing.[220]

Google Play RealBooks

Google announced RealBooks, a new form of ebook for those who miss having physical copies of books. These books were essentially a smartphone with every feature removed except the ability to read a single ebook. The video was removed at a later date for unknown reasons.[221]

Ms. Pac-Maps

Google has partly revived new Pac-Maps to allow users to play the popular video game Ms. Pac-Man along the streets of the world. Although, this time, instead of turning the player's current location into the game level, the player is taken to a random spot in the world. The mobile app for Maps also displays a button to play Ms. Pac-Maps.[222]

Google Wind

Google Netherlands says that "Holland[sic] is one of the greatest countries to live in, but the biggest downside is that it rains 145 days a year". They also stated that "it uses Machine Learning to recognize cloud patterns and orchestrate the network of windmills when rain is approaching. Test results look very promising." On April 1, they would be able to ensure clear skies for everyone in the Netherlands. This is an example of an attempt to control the weather locally.[223]

Google Japanese Input Puchi Puchi Version

A version of Google Japanese Input using bubble wrap.[224] Also, on the website they gave at the end of the video, there was a bubble wrap at the end of the page.[225]

Haptic Helpers

Google claims that "it takes the virtual reality world to the next level" by implementing the missing three senses of older VR technology: taste, touch, and smell. When one tries to sign up however, the sign-up button become the words,"APRIL FOOLS!"[226]

Google Cloud Platform Expands to Mars

Google announced the creation of a datacenter on Mars, nicknamed "Ziggy Stardust," which would open in 2018 starting with a new Mars location in Google Cloud Storage. Part of Google's announcement included the ability to walk-through their new datacenter in Google Street View.[227]

Mobile Accessories for Chromebook

Google announced a wide range of accessories for the Chromebook that are only available for mobile phones, such as the "Chromebook Groupie Stick," "Chromebook Cardboard," and "Chromebook Workout Armband."[228]

Google Translate for Heptapod B

Google announced Heptapod B (the fictional language of "Story of Your Life" and the motion picture based on it) as the 32nd language to be supported in Word Lens.[229]

Google Gnome

Google announced a new Google Assistant product designed for the yard called "Google Gnome".[230] It has some of Google Home's features,[231] except that it is intended to be used outdoors.[232] According to Google, it can report about the environment and the outdoors. It only responds to voice[233] and is hand-free. It can also mow the lawn, acting as a lawnmower.[234] The announcement video was edited in countless memes, in a similar fashion to the announcement video of Amazon Echo.

Google Now for Dogs & Cats

Google announced a new force 3D touch action on the Google app for iOS that would open a special experience for cats or dogs.[235]

Google Play for Pets

Google announced a new Google Play category for Pets with games, apps and training tools to keep a pet stimulated.[236]

Google Cloud Hummus API

Google Israel launched a "hummus API" to organize information, even hummus. It attempts to store their favorite type of hummus as information.[237][238]

Gboard Physical Handwriting Board

Google Japan, from the Google Japanese Input team, proposed a physical handwritten version of Gboard. The device was developed "to realize intuitive character input". It was also said in the video to stretch the feature to beyond keyboards, such as an abacus and even corn.[239][240]

Where's Waldo on Google Maps

Five classic Where's Waldo scenes were hidden over Google Maps. Finding Waldo in each scene rewarded the player with a hint as to finding the next one. Completing all the levels unlocked a secret sixth scene on the Moon, which could be accessed by zooming out in Satellite view.[241]

Bad Joke Detector

Google announced that its file management app Files Go would use a "custom-built deep neural network" to free up storage by deleting bad jokes from the user's device.[242]

Googz

Google Australia made a redesign of Google for Australian citizens called "Googz".[243] Google asked Aussie designer Jazza to make a convincing video about the new adaption of the word Googz. They conducted "surveys" which showed some false results on how "80%" of Australians commonly refer to Google as Googz.[244]

Recrawl Now

Google Search Console made a site recrawl feature that instead rickrolls the user.[245]

Sssnakes on a map

Google Maps had a feature to play Snake in several cities. During the week of April Fools' Day, this was accessible in the app. Many cities were available, such as Cairo, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo, and even the world. There was also a standalone site at snake.googlemaps.com.[246]

Google Tulip

Google Nederland released a video on YouTube about a new app allowing communication with tulips, by translating the root signals of tulips into spoken words.[247]

Google Calendar

Google Calendar invites a user to clear their schedule, one meeting at a time, with laser-sharp precision. Click the Gear icon, then select Play a game (alternatively, deep link is: https://calendar.google.com/?playagame)

Gboard Spoon Bending

Google Japan followed up 2018's physical handwriting board with 2019's Spoon Bending version, a special, smart spoon that allows users to type Japanese characters in Gboard by bending it. This invention allows the user to type almost effortlessly anytime, anywhere, allowing the user greater flexibility in their writing. Allegedly they are also developing other bending technologies, such as an "outdoor version" consisting of a fishing rod and a "hands off" version where the spoon will be bent telepathically.[248]

Google Assistant

If the user writes "April Fools" to Google Assistant, it will now offer a random April Fools' prank in history.

Google Colab

"Power Mode - rack up combos and see sparks fly". It introduced a new mode that, when activated, causes sparks to fly out from the cursor when typing, and shows an animated "combo counter".[249]

Gmail

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the email client’s release, the Gmail logo featured balloons and a party hat on April 1.

YouTube

After a two year hiatus YouTube returned to making April Fools' pranks. This year they had an ad on the top of the home page for an Aquaman 2 movie, but instead of the playable video being a trailer for it the video was for the Shazam! trailer instead.

Files App: Screen Cleaner

Google released a video about Screen Cleaner with an "Activate" button that when pressed, dirt and stains magically poof away. Then the phone vibrates, creating a non-stick shield "With a fresh pineapple scent."[250]