In an era of fake news, we should probably all be reading things with a more sceptical eye.
That is especially true on 1 April, when newspapers, companies and social media comics try to trick us all with jokes and pranks.
Here are some of the best prank stories that we spotted throughout the morning.
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April Fools’ Day is upon us, and like every year, Google is doing its best to outdo itself. The company releases all sorts of jokes, ranging from the ridiculously lame to the very clever, spanning the simple blog post or video to the elaborate gag or new feature. It’s a very Google-specific tradition — even other Alphabet companies don’t really participate in the celebration.
In fact, Google’s various divisions create more practical and impractical jokes for the holiday than any other tech firm, and it’s simply hard to keep track of them all. We have put together our annual roundup — here are all of Google’s April Fools jokes for 2018.
Where’s Waldo? In Google Maps
The Google Maps team tends to have the more intricate jokes — usually playable games — and this year it’s a Where’s Waldo? integration. Waldo is traveling the world with his friends Wenda, Woof, Wizard Whitebeard, and Odlaw. To travel with him, all you have to do is find him. The April Fools feature will be available all week on Android, iOS, and desktop (make sure you have the latest app version or visit google.com/maps on your computer). To start, press play when you see Waldo waving at you from the side of your screen or ask “Hey Google, Where’s Waldo?” via Google Assistant on your phone, Chromebook, or Home device.
Google Cloud Hummus API
There are so many different types of hummus. And not everyone likes the same hummus. This is a serious problem. Google wants to organize the world’s information, and hummus is no exception. What better way than to have a Hummus API? It analyzes your taste using Google’s “advance artificial intelligence algorithm,” “a hummus big data warehouse” stored in the Google Cloud, “a machine learning model,” vision intelligence, and a taste stick.
Gboard Hardware Keyboard
Google Japan was tired of having to memorize where the keys are on a keyboard, so it created a “physical handwriting version” of the Gboard virtual keyboard app. Instead, the team has created a device that lets you swipe over hardware keyboards, just like you do on software keyboards. The physical version of Gboard collects “a ton of scribble data” and uses machine learning to match it with the correct letters. They ended up with 100,000 data points! It works for all ages and not only do you no longer have to remember where all the letters are, but you don’t even need to print the letters on the keys anymore.
Bad Joke Detector
The Files Go team has decided it wants to do more to help you free up space on your phone. Instead of just removing junk files and old apps, Files Go will now delete any bad jokes you inadvertently receive from friends and family. The Bad Joke Detector uses “a custom-built deep neural network” to identify the bad jokes on your phone, which you can then delete with a single tap.
Googz
Google Australia is really embracing its job of adapting the company’s services to Down Under. Google has been rebranded to Googz. The decision comes as a result of analyzing the evolving local dialect — people are already referring to Google as “Googz” so why not just run with it? In partnership with leading Australian designer Jazza, Google went to great lengths to design a new logo, brand identity, and even some swag to go along with the whole overhaul. You can even ask Google Assistant “Ok Google, What’s your name?” on your Google Home, Chromebook, or smartphone to make sure you get the pronounciation down pat.
When it comes to April Fools’ Day, Google seems to have a bottomless pit for a marketing budget. We will update this post as the company launches more jokes.
Today is the day for real fake news. It's April 1, which means companies, newspapers and japesters around the world try to make fools of us with pranks.
And because it's Easter Sunday too, you can expect some of the gags to have a recurring theme.
Here's a round-up of some of the jokes so far.
How the EU trolled Britain
The European Parliament has poked fun at Britain - and, specifically, our new blue post-Brexit passports, with its April Fool's joke.
It claimed that "all EU passports [are] to become dark blue" - which would render our symbolic passport choice useless.
Are you questioning that story about Prince Harry spending his stag weekend drinking laverbread smoothies? Or wondering whether Coca-Cola is really releasing an avocado-flavoured drink?
The world is on April Fools’ Day watch, as newspapers, obscure tech companies and general pranksters attempt to pitch you carefully crafted “fake news”.
Here’s a roundup of the best so far:
The Observer
There is an emoji for almost anything, so it’s not too much of a leap to think an Italian firm would make Brexit and Remain emojis. The paper reports that the emojis, dubbed Brexit Bulldog and Starry Blue, are due to be launched on Sunday, letting people use the emojis to give their social media profiles a “brand identity”.
“Government sources indicated that if the Gibraltar-based company pressed ahead with the launch, ministers might look at imposing a post-Brexit import tariff on emojis,” Scherzo Primavera of the Observer reports. (The hintclue is in the byline, perhaps.)
Play Video 1:21 The moment BBC fell for the Observer's April Fools – video
The Mail on Sunday
What April Fools’ Day feast would be complete without a royal spoof? According to the Mail on Sunday, Prince Harry will be drinking laverbread smoothies and engaging in pre-dawn ancient Celtic chanting for his stag weekend at a spiritual yurt retreat in the valleys of west Wales later this month.
“Meghan wants Harry to spend the weekend getting grounded, not inebriated,” a friend told the paper. “She thinks a weekend of meditation and chakra-cleansing in Wales will fit the bill perfectly.”
Heinz
It sounds disgusting, but then cakes are made with eggs and that’s tasty, right? In a carefully crafted advert, Heinz tells how it has been working on a top-secret recipe in time for Easter. It’s seriously good mayonnaise made even better with Belgian chocolate.
Burger King
Heinz are not the only ones who are at it, Burger King is also getting chocolatey this Easter. The fast food chain claims to be bringing out a chocolate bun and patty with raspberry syrup and vanilla frosting.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Burger King April fool
Coca-Cola
The only logical conclusion to the Instagram generation’s obsession with avocados … it’s avocado-flavoured Coca-Cola. Yes, that’s right, Coca-Cola is introducing three flavours for all those brunch heads out there. As well as everyone’s favourite green fruit, people can also try sourdough and charcoal flavours, too.
Coca-Cola told the Sunday Mirror: “Not only do they promise to be the perfect tasty, sugar-free refreshment, but they’ll also double-up as the ideal accessory for any brunch-time social media photo – guaranteed to see the ‘likes’ rolling in.”
Virgin Australia
Apparently we are all now far too busy and important to spend time unproductively, so now you can even get fit while flying.
Richard Branson’s airline, Virgin Australia, is launching Spin Class, the world’s first in-flight cycling studio. The new cabin class allows passengers to burn calories on board during long-haul international flights.
Richard Branson (@richardbranson) It’s great when two Virgin companies work together to come up with a really great idea. Well done to everyone at @VirginAustralia and @VirginActiveOz for introducing the world’s first in flight spin class. Will be touring Australia later this year and can’t wait to join one pic.twitter.com/cTIAxUuVZS
The Virgin Active Cycle head coach Emma Masters said: “Each Spin Class has been designed to achieve optimal in-flight heart rate and maximum calorie after-burn in the case of the Jetlag Buster and Spin & Sleep classes. For those looking to relax, the Cruise in the Clouds options provides a more laid-back workout.”
SodaStream
Sparkling water is the new black, and the good news is you can now bathe in it as well as drink it.
As part of an April Fool’s prank, SodaStream has released a video for Soda Soak, which does exactly what it says on the tin: let’s you soak in carbonated water through a bath attachment.
Carabao
As if the election of Donald Trump wasn’t enough of an April fool, Carabao energy drink wants you to believe it is launching a mandarin orange flavour that mirrors the US president’s exact orange skin tone.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Carabao April fool. Photograph: PR
Carabao’s head of design, Tom Prunddal, said: “I saw a picture of Donald Trump in the paper and the lightbulb moment of brightness struck! We were looking for something between carrot and goldfish and the president’s face was the answer.”
Kraken Rum
Forget the “beast from the east”, if you believe this BBC breaking news report presented by newscaster Michael Buerk, the Kraken has been spotted on the river Thames.
The huge black cephalopod is estimated to be at least 14 metres from tentacle to tentacle, according to reports.
Representatives for Kraken Black Spiced Rum, named after the celebrated sea-monster, have urged the authorities to treat the spotting with great care.
Buerk said: “Experts have been searching for years for the beast from the deep, and it has popped up here in central London, it is an extraordinary sighting and I had to come down and be first to bank the story. We’ve already seen our news feed picked up by other networks around the world.”
Clas Ohlson
This one sounds familiar enough that it’s believable as true. The homeware brand Clas Ohlson has announced it is going to sell bottled Swedish air for British consumers to enjoy.
Its director of design, Flora Lopias, said, “Swedish culture and design is increasingly popular across the world, in areas from homeware to technology to diet and lifestyle. Now, British customers will even be able to breathe like a Swede.”
The European parliament
The best April Fool’s joke of the day, perhaps. The European parliament has poked fun at Britain’s new blue post-Brexit passports.
It claims that “all EU passports [are] to become dark blue” – the passport equivalent of turning up to a party and seeing someone in a matching outfit.
