The 13 Best April Fool's Pranks That Technology Tricked Us With
April Fool's Day has survived the onslaught of technology. In fact, tech companies like Google have taken it to an elaborate level. Sometimes it's difficult to separate the hoax from the real as they manipulate our imagination with feature "updates" and product announcements. So let's look back at the past to see how cleverly they stumped us before to understand better what's coming on April 1st.So, here are some of the best April Fool jokes technology companies brought to us.Note: The list is subjective because humor is too. Also, there are too many April Fool's shenanigans by tech companies to count across the years.
1. Google Gulp (2005)
One of the world's wealthiest companies selling soft drinks sounds like a commercial belly-flop. But it wasn't just any other beverage. Google Gulp (BETA)™ with Auto-Drink™ was a "smart drink" with a punchline that was a mouthful, as you can see in the screenshot. Oh yes, it was also low in carbs.
This wasn't their first April Fool's prank, but it showed how Google could have fun with technology.
2. Apple iPlay Game Console (2010)
Many Apple fans may not have heard about Pippin, Apple's failed game console. That was much before the "i" came before everything from Cupertino. So, there's a chance that people thought that Apple would take another shot at game consoles. The Apple iPlay Console, with the likes of Jony Ive spieling it in a promo video did make it seem so.
Ultimately, it was a clever April Fool's prank designed by the video game website IGN spoofing Apple's product promotions.
3. Twitter's Twttr (2013)
A Twttr where you get messages with only consonants? For the entire message with vowels, you have to pony up $5. The subscription is a joke on us now, but the Twttr announcement was a humorous April Fool's prank played on unsuspecting users of the service in 2013.
4. YouTube (2013)
In 2013, YouTube put out a message saying that the video site was actually a contest to find the best video in the world. The winner will be announced in 2023, and the site will be shut down. It was an almost believable prank because of the serious official tone of the video. But you only had to realize the date to find the joke.
5. Google Maps Pokémon Challenge (2014)
April Fool's Day in 2014 brought another zinger from Google Maps. But it turned into a contest within the joke as the search for Pokemon continued until April 5th. Users brought out their Google Maps app for iPhone and Android and hunted down the critters in locations worldwide.
Pokémon masters who caught 151 of the Nintendo creatures received a certificate at the end of the augmented reality hunt.
6. PlayStation Flow (2015)
Surely this concept is halfway between fiction and reality in some gaming lab somewhere. A few years back, on April 1st, a fully immersive gaming wearable had the potential to make hardcore gamers salivate at the idea. Take the "immersive" literally as PlayStation Flow combined gaming and swimming, wearing special sensors, a goggle, and PlayStation Waterproof Earphones.
7. Amazon Petlexa (2017)
Man's best friend and other companions deserve the best technology offers. Amazon thought so too with Petlexa, which your pets could use to bark (or meow) out orders for pet food and anything they fancied via Amazon Echo, Dot, or Tap. But the joke didn't spare a thought about letting them loose on your Amazon account and the linked credit card.
8. Amazon Publishing (2018)
Amazon delivered... but it was your favorite author at your doorstep this time. Bestselling author Patricia Cornwell was in on the joke as she made an almost James Bond-ish run to the customer's front door. Maybe, one day this will come true with virtual reality avatars.
9. PayPal (2018)
Anyone would like this feature in recession-hit times. A PayPal tweet in 2018 claimed that a new feature would allow customers to print money directly from their phones using the PayPal app. The tweet went viral and helped PayPal laugh its way to (probably) more customers and brand recall.
10. Netflix (2018)
Netflix has done its share of April Fool's pranks. But in 2018, they made Seth Rogen sign a lifetime deal to transfer his body and soul to Netflix and create content for them. In return, Netflix would air Rogen's "Hilarity for Charity" special (for Alzheimer's disease awareness). Binge watchers got to see this top billing in a banner when they logged in.
11. Spotify (2019)
Spotify made an underappreciated April Fool's attempt that was a lot of fun. Listeners noticed that a regular Discover Weekly playlist used disco covers of non-disco songs. The remarkable bit was that many of the cover songs matched the originals each listener liked.
12. Google Maps Snake (2019)
We couldn't feature the vast range of Google's April Fool's gags here. But turning the clock back to a beloved classic game deserves to be on the list. In fact, you can still play the Snakes game on Google Maps.
Note: Google canceled its April Fool's jokes in 2020-21 because of the pandemic.
13. Duolingo (2022)
This was less of a prank and more of a company poking fun at itself (and its notifications). Not many would have been taken in by the Duolingo owl threatening you to take your language learning lessons. Even then, I wouldn't want its digital avatar to come in the three modes offered by Duolingo Push — encouraging, disappointed, or passive-aggressive.
April Fool's Day's Viral Marketing Hijinks
The best April Fool jokes are the ones you didn't see coming or within touching distance of being real. The better ones are also a win-win for tech companies as social media ensures free brand promotion. But we shouldn't mind as they help bring cheer to our online lives. The list isn't exhaustive but should give you a little idea of the lengths companies go to with humor.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3KnqysnZ%2Bbe6S7zGiZnqukYq6xvsilZJ%2Bnn6HAbrzRmqWkq12ptaLAjK2cnKCepLmws9hmq6uhk6CypXnUrGSwoaSdfA%3D%3D