Did you try out the new GoogleNose? If you did, you are just one of the many people around the world who fell for one of Google’s April Fool’s Day pranks. GoogleNose, the scentsational app went viral soon after its launch. When its reality was evident, some people found it hard to believe that it was just a prank. Google backed it up with a well-knit tale and even launched a very believable page for the app.

Google owned YouTube was not far behind either. It came up with an elaborate prank by announcing that the website was launched eight years ago to find the best video in the world, thus, the website was going to shut down for a decade at the end of the day to review all the entries and announce a winner in 2023. They backed it up with a 3:32 minute video posted on the homepage yesterday.

For all the mystery lovers out there, Google launched the Google Treasure Maps. By incorporating a Treasure Mode Beta technology to the Google maps, Google declared a world-wide search for Captain Kitt’s long lost treasure. In the introductory video, Google announced that the maps were not easily decipherable and thus, they want the whole world to come together and hunt down the treasure.

The pranks started becoming a little obvious by the ‘Gmail Blue’ prank posted on the Gmail blog. The sincerity with which the Google employees in the video state that it took them six years to develop the technology to make Gmail ‘bluer’ is commendable.

There were a few more like Add Emoticon to photos button on Google+, visitors from space station control room on Google Analytics, Google SCHMICK home makeover kit for Australia’s Street View, and maybe more are yet to come. It's disappointing though that there is no Google Doodle for the April Fool's day.

 

You can reach Shruti Sharma here.