It’s the first of April, which really just means that you have a chance to give and receive pranks. The best part of the April Fool’s Day is seeing all those online hoaxes and shenanigans. If you missed the high-tech jokes, just take a quick look here.
Google: Introducing Screen Cleaner in the Files app
As the video will tell you, “Screen Cleaner uses the Smudge Detector API to identify imperfections.” Once the phone is clean, the vibrations and haptic controls form a non-stick shield. It sounds great–just what I’ve always needed for my phone in my busy-crazy life. Now, if only it wasn’t a Google April Fool’s joke.
Google didn’t stop there though. They also introduced Google Tulip, which decodes the language of flowers, and they launched a Google Maps Snake game.
Amazon: Audible for Fish
We can’t forget our fishy friends, who need company just as much as our furrier pets! ‘Audible for Fish’ is designed to ensure these scaly sweethearts have a whale of a time in the tank when home alone. Learn more: https://t.co/Efzvc7ZbAt! pic.twitter.com/66XyvR4Czc
Amazon’s Audible took a slightly more fishy route with their April Fool’s Day prank. Who would have thought that Audible for Fish could ever really be a thing? After all, we do need to consider the needs of our pets, and those three-second audibles could be just the ticket.
Through the years, there have been many memorable shenanigans on April Fool’s Day. It can go terribly wrong or be misinterpreted almost as frequently as it can be applauded as one of the best pranks in history. Are we really surprised that Microsoft called off any trickster-like foolery for 2019? As Microsoft Marketing Exec Chris Caposella wrote, “I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day.”
That anti-April Fool’s Day sentiment appeared to be spreading. Maybe it’s a sign of the times, or maybe they just didn’t realize what fun they were missing.
Duolingo Push: The Giant Owl
Duolingo’s Push launched in the form of a giant green owl, who appears in your “real life” to harass and coerce you into practicing your foreign language skills. The owl is the perfect annoyance in honor of April Fool’s Day.