NOT FUNNY

Google Disables Clumsy April Fools’ Joke

Australian users report lost jobs from MicDrop prank.

After many complaints, a few lost jobs, and some awkward silences, Google disabled one of its April Fools’ Day jokes built this year. Gmail’s MicDrop function—a special version of the send button—fired off a GIF of a Minion character dropping a microphone at the end of your email—and meant that if someone responded to your email, you wouldn’t see it. Many Australian Gmail users—among the first to be subjected to this confusing gag—accidentally clicked the button in professional emails and even correspondence about funerals, leading some to lose work assignments. Within hours, Google announced it had turned off the feature, and a spokesperson told The Guardian: “Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year. Due to a bug, the MicDrop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. We’re truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page.” The company has launched at least five other April Fools gags today, including “Google Cardboard Plastic” (a transparent box that you strap to your face to enable “Actual Reality”), “Searchable Socks” (which lets you find your socks with the Google app), and “Google Maps Disco” (which lets you watch Pegman dancing to “Funky Town”).