Google has added many Easter eggs into its products and services to entertain and amuse users.
A Google web search for:
"a long time ago in a galaxy far far away" resulted in the same tilted, scrolling style that the introductions to the original Star Wars movies were presented in. This included the music, which was muted but could be heard by clicking on or selecting the muted speaker icon on the page.
"anagram" shows "Did you mean: nag a ram?" "define anagram" shows "Did you mean: nerd fame again"
"askew" and "tilt" causes the results page to be tilted, leaning down, left to right.
"bletchley park" shows the name of the attraction being decoded in the Knowledge Graph.
"<blink>" or "blink html" includes samples of the blink element in the results.
"conway's game of life" on a desktop browser generates a running configuration of the game to the right of the search results. The process can also be stopped and altered by the user.
"do a barrel roll" or "z or r twice" causes the result page to do a Star Fox-style barrel roll.
"festivus" shows an image of the Festivus pole beside the search results.
"flip a coin" will flip a coin: heads or tails.
"fun facts" or "i'm feeling curious" will show a fun fact. You can click on "Ask another question" to show another question.
"gay pride", "homosexuality", "stonewall" and other LGBT related searches, at times of gay pride festival activity, cause the results page to have a rainbow themed header.
"google in 1998" on a desktop browser will generate a layout similar to the one Google used for its search engine in 1998.
“is google down” returns with "No".
"recursion" includes a "Did you mean: recursion" link back to the same page.
"roll a die," "roll dice," or "roll a dice" will roll a die: between 1 and 6.
"solitaire" will have a playable game of solitaire. You can select between two modes: easy and hard.
"sonic the hedgehog" will give a knowledge graph with Sonic waiting. Clicking on Sonic will make him jump; if clicked on 25 times, Sonic will transform into Super Sonic.
"super mario bros" shows a knowledge graph for Super Mario Bros. that contains a flashing ? Block which generates a coin and 200 points when clicked. After 100 coins are collected, the "1UP" sound plays.
"tic tac toe" will have a playable game of tic tac toe. You can select to be either player 1 (x) or player 2 (o).
"webdriver torso" turns the Google logo into the moving colored blocks. This does not work on mobile devices. This does not work when there is a Google Doodle on that day.
"what sound does a dog make" will sound out what a dog will make. Replace dog with another animal of your choice.
"zerg rush" causes an army of Google O's to attack and destroy the search results, which can be defeated by clicking on them. Once you are defeated, the O's form two G's, meaning Good Game. It is impossible to win and works only on desktop devices.
"kerning" will add spaces between the letters of the word "kerning" in the search results.
A Google image search for "atari breakout" starts a game of Breakout, using the gallery of image results as bricks. Once the bricks are destroyed, a random phrase is automatically searched and the game will restart.
Late 2011, Google added a graphical calculator to search results. By using natural language processing, Google's algorithms have calculated that the result might be mathematical in nature. Woven into this feature are several not entirely academic understandings, which might be considered Easter eggs.
A Google web search for:
"once in a blue moon" will give the additional result of "once in a blue moon = 1.16699016 ×
10
−
8
hertz".
"baker's dozen" shows the additional result "1 baker's dozen = 13"
"the answer to [the ultimate question of] life the universe and everything" provides the answer "42" as a result in reference to the Douglas Adams novel series, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
"the number of horns on a unicorn" shows the number "1" on the calculator.
"what is the loneliest number" shows the number = "1" in the calculator.
Results may be calculated; for example: "the number of horns on a unicorn plus the answer to life the universe and everything" will return "43".
Google Maps and Google Earth
The world of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" may be explored with Google Street View. Visit New York City in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Fans can visit MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two of the film’s key characters.
Another 3D buildings easter egg involves the famous bridge jump scene from The Blues Brothers, which is recreated in Google Earth at the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge linking New Jersey and Philadelphia.
The Mars Feature of Google Earth allows users to speak to a primitive ELIZA clone on the planet, by searching for "Meliza".
On July 20, 2005, the 36th anniversary of the first human landing on the Moon, Google debuted a version of Google Maps that included a small segment of the surface of the Moon. It is based entirely on NASA images and includes only a very limited region. Panning causes the map to tile. The map also gives the locations of all Moon landings, and the Google Moon FAQ humorously mentions a connection to the Google Copernicus hoax, which Google claimed to be developing. Supposedly, by 2069, Google Local will support all lunar businesses and addresses.
In Street View, on Earls Court Rd, London, United Kingdom, a TARDIS from the famous science fiction series Doctor Who is on display. Street View allows one to enter the TARDIS where it is "Bigger on the Inside" and explore the set actually used in the show.
When navigating from Snowdon to Brecon Beacons, the user can choose to travel by dragon, which takes 21 minutes.
Searching for public transportation from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace, offers you the Royal Carriage option.
Certain navigation within the greater London area showed the as-yet unopened Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) in royal purple (April Fool's Day, 2016).
There is a flight simulator in the Google Earth desktop app. To access it, press Ctrl+Alt+A on Windows or ⌘ Cmd+⌥ Opt+A on OS X.
If the user navigates to Loch Ness, the lake can be seen from a street view and the Pegman looks like the Loch Ness Monster.
He is given special clothing for some widely observed special occasions: for Halloween he rides a broomstick; for Valentine's Day he stands upon a heart; and during Christmas week, he becomes a snowman and on certain hashtags like the #prideforeveryone hashtag he gets a certain object like a rainbow cape.
Around February 8, the launch day of Google Maps, he appears dressed as a birthday cake.
When viewing past street views, he turns into Emmett Brown, one of the protagonists from Back to the Future.
When dragged into Legoland in Carlsbad, the Pegman turns into a LEGO Minifigure.
When dragged into Street View in Sun Valley, Idaho, he becomes a skier.
On Election Day the Pegman is wearing a Uncle Sam's hat and an "I voted" button
When dragged onto the vicinity of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Pegman becomes a tennis player holding a racket.
Dragged near the Kennedy Space Center, Pegman becomes an astronaut. Also when using Pegman around Groom Lake in Nevada or Area 51, he will turn into a UFO.
When viewing Buckingham Palace in London, the Pegman turns into a representation of Queen Elizabeth II.
When dragged onto Hawaii or Florida, the Pegman becomes a mermaid, but only when close to the ocean. The figure reverts if dragged too far inland.
To promote the upcoming release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, users could explore Bruce Wayne's residence and the Batcave. This no longer exists as of Aug 19, 2016.
Dragging the Google Street View Pegman onto Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, CA used to display him with a tie-dyed shirt.
There is a place on the southern point of Half Moon Island, Antarctica that has blue roads. When the Pegman was dragged on this spot, the Pegman turned into a penguin and users could explore the area as if on roads. Penguins and a research team in red parkas can be seen at various points on these roads.
For April Fools' Day 2015, when in certain areas in Google Maps, there was a Pac-Man button. When clicked (if one's in a suitable area for it to work), a Pac-Man game started, controlled by arrow keys, using the roads as paths for Pac-Man to go.
In early test versions of Google Maps, searching for a route between locations separated by expanses of water (e.g. Paris and New York) provided road directions to the coast of the embarkation country (in this case, the west coast of France) before suggesting "Swim the Atlantic Ocean (3,500 miles)" or another ocean for a different distance.
While Google Maps' walking directions were in beta, requesting them from the start point of "The Shire" or "Rivendell" to the destination of "Mordor", the directions returned the warning: "Use caution – One does not simply walk into Mordor."
Zooming to the closest level in Google Moon used to show that the Moon was made of cheese.
For the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Pegman on Google Maps was a Stormtrooper or an X-Wing pilot.
For the release of the video game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for the Wii U, the Pegman was Link holding a Master Sword and a Hylian Shield.
Searching for "R'lyeh" would take you to the coordinates of the sunken city. It was listed as a "Place of worship".
From May 20–24, 2010, Google replaced its usual homepage with a playable Google-style Pac-Man game to celebrate its 30th anniversary. By pressing Insert Coin (which replaced the I'm Feeling Lucky button) a second time, users could play a 2-player version of Pac-Man, starring both Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man (moving in WASD) in the same game. This was a first in the history of Pac-Man by the creators of Google Pac-Man at the 2011 Google I/O conference. Google's game is still playable by visiting Google's Doodles collection that can be found by pressing I'm Feeling Lucky without text in the search bar.
"www.google.com/teapot", states, "418. I’m a teapot. The requested entity body is short and stout. Tip me over and pour me out.". Clicking on the picture of the teapot (or "teabot") or tilting your mobile device will result in an animation of it pouring tea into a teacup. The web page is a reference to the Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol.
"www.google.com/heart" will redirect to an archived page which is a preservation of the old Google interface, complete with a banner that states "This site is an old friend from Google’s past, kept in its original form. Enjoy!". However, if you type something in the search box and click "Google Search", it will take you back to the current Google interface. A Java applet with an interactive jumping heart shows under the Google logo on the search page. The applet was made in 2000 by Ken Perlin. Note: To view it, you must use a browser that supports Java.
Android
Since the version 2.3 (Gingerbread) of Google's Android operating system an easter egg containing a funny animation has been hidden. The easter egg can be accessed through the "Settings" application, in the "About phone" section, by repeatedly tapping the "Android version" section. The animation is different in every version of the OS.In 4.1 - 4.3.1 (Jelly Bean) a red jelly bean appears, which if pressed will show its face along with the OS version. If this jelly bean is then long-pressed, an interactive jelly bean minigame will appear. This is where one can fling the jelly beans around.
In 4.4 (KitKat) a Rotating letter "K" appears, which if continually tapped turns into the text "Android" in the styling of a KitKat logo. If the Android logo is then long-pressed a tile interface, known as "a daydream" called "Dessert Case", loads with icons from all previous versions of Android. It appears to be a mock of the Windows Phone interface.
In 5.x (Lollipop) and 6.x (Marshmallow), a colored circle appears (or a circle with a stylized M inside in Marshmallow). If continuously tapped, it will turn into a lollipop with the text lollipop inside (or the M changes into a marshmallow in 6.x). Tapping the circle changes the color. When long-pressed, a game of Flappy Bird starts with the Android mascot instead. In Marshmallow, tapping the plus sign adds extra players (up to five), which can be controlled by the user or other players.
In 7.0 (Nougat), a "N" appears, which will enable another easter egg if tapped. This easter egg, which can be accessed from the Quick Settings menu, allows the user to create virtual treats, which will eventually attract kittens. The kittens can be viewed in a gallery-style screen.
On YouTube Creator Studio, swiping down the screen repeatedly will show a cat at the top of the screen.
Spells may be cast on an Android phone by saying "Ok Google" followed by "Lumos" or "Nox" to turn the flashlight on and off, or "Silencio" to silence the ringer and notifications.
Under the "Settings" application, in the "About device" section, clicking on the "Build number" seven times will unlock developer options on the device. This works on any device that uses the Android operating system.
Android applications
In the Google Play Games app, if the player swipes the Konami Code, a box will appear with three buttons - a B, an A and an ►. Pressing B then A then ► unlocks a secret achievement called "All your game are belong to us.", a reference to the well known "All your base are belong to us" phrase.
In the Google Play Store app, when viewing the Google MyGlass app page, the fifth screenshot is a picture of a dog in pajamas.
In the Google Phone (Dialer) app, inputing the "Emergency Number", advertised to replace "999" in The IT Crowd's season 1 episode "Calamity Jen", will prompt the phone to vibrate and the action button flash blue & red.
In the Google Allo app, if you send the Konami Code to the Google Assistant by typing "up up down down left right left right b a start", it will respond with "Cheat mode enabled."
In Google+, if the device is shaken, snow will fall; if the device is shaken again it will save an animated GIF of the image with falling snow to the pictures directory.
Searching for "let's go caroling" or "let's go carolling" on Google Now will result in an extra card which displays a list of Christmas carols. The phone will play the music and show the words if one of them is selected.
The model numbers for the first generation Chromecast unit and its power adapter read H2G2-42 and MST3K-US, respectively.
On a video published by Numberphile on June 22, 2012, titled "Why do YouTube views freeze at 301?", the view count is frozen at 301, referencing the bug in the now changed subject behavior.
Adding "&wadsworth=1" to a video URL will apply "Wadsworth's constant", skipping the first 30% of the video.
Whilst viewing any video, type "awesome" and the progress bar and other player elements will flash multicolored. Typing "awesome" again will stop it.
YouTube's robot.txt file states that it was "Created in the distant future (the year 2000) after the robotic uprising of the mid 90's which wiped out all humans."
When the live-stream countdown reaches 24 hours before it is scheduled to start, a "Dawn of The Final Day -24 Hours Remain-" is shown along with a sound effect, referencing the video game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
On December 12, 2015, in order to promote the then-upcoming release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the progress bar was changed in order to look like a Lightsaber. By signing up to a specially created promotional page, users were able to follow the Light Side (which would change the progress bar to blue) or the Dark Side (which would change the progress bar to red). This was turned off after February 1, 2016.Along with this, whenever you would mouse over the volume controls, a lightsaber sound would play like it was turned on, and when you mouse off of it, a power off sound would play.
By pressing any of the arrow keys on a YouTube video while buffering, the buffering sign would turn into a snake like that of the game Snake. In this minigame, dots can be collected to make the snake longer, as in the real game.
A YouTube search for:
"beam me up scotty", a reference to Star Trek, would cause the search results to beam down onto the screen, as in Star Trek.
"doge meme" changes the font on the search result page to pastel color Comic Sans typical of the Doge meme.
"do the harlem shake", will cause the Harlem Shake song to play and the results to dance around.
"use the force luke" causes the results to levitate, as if by the force mentioned in Star Wars.
"webdriver torso" will return the results but with a red background and a blue rectangle around some videos. It also says "aqua.flv – Slide 000[0-9]" at the bottom left of the page. This is a reference to the Webdriver Torso mystery. Google has confirmed that it is behind the Webdriver Torso mystery; it is one of many test channels used by YouTube to ensure video quality.
On Google Chrome, if the user tries to browse when offline a message is shown that they are not connected to the Internet, illustrated by the "Lonely T-Rex" dinosaur designed by Sebastien Gabriel. From September 2014, tapping the dinosaur (in Android or iOS) or pressing the spacebar/up button (on desktop) launches a browser game called T-Rex Runner in which the user has to protect the running dinosaur by tapping the screen or pressing space/up button/down button to jump to avoid obstacles, including cacti and, from June 2015, pterodactyls. In 2016, another feature was added to the game. When the player reaches 700 points the game begins to switch between day (white background, black lines and shapes) and night (black background, white lines and shapes). Reaching a score of 900 will switch the colour scheme back to day, and the switch back and forth will occur at further subsequent milestones. The game's code is available on the Chromium site.
Pressing Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Y in the Picasa desktop application will cause a teddy bear to appear on the screen.
In Google I/O 2013 page "instrument.github.io/google-io-2013/", one can click letters "I" or "O" to input password. For example, when one inputs "OIIIIIII" then presses enter will enter a page with ASCII code. When the user inputs "OOIOIOIO", the user will enter a space themed page. When the user inputs "OIIIOIOI", the user will enter a bowling themed page. When the user inputs "IOIOIOIO", a metaball themed page will appear.
In Google Glass, tapping Settings -> Device info -> View licenses, then tapping the touchpad 9 times, will show a Tap Meet Team option. Tapping again will show a photo of the Google Glass development team.
Any photograph with Christmas lights uploaded to Google+ will be turned into an animated GIF, showing sparkling lights.
On the Google Play Store, clicking the search button with a blank search field will search "unicorns".
When using Google Translate to translate the German version of The Funniest Joke in the World ("Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!") to English, the result will be "[FATAL ERROR]".
In Google's iPhone and iPod touch search application, swiping downwards (past About) repeatedly in the Settings interface brings up a hidden menu item, called Bells and Whistles, allowing customization of colors, sounds and more within the app. However, this no longer works as of the newer app updates.
