It all started with a simple GIF, like so many other things do before they go horribly wrong.
Most of us expected shenanigans of some sort today, it being April 1. Even in the tech industry, it's not unusual for even major corporations to prank their users. Sometime though, they can go horribly, horribly wrong.
Last night, Google introduced a new feature into Gmail, a Send+ Mic Drop button in email threads. It basically let you type out a reply and, instead of hitting the boring old Send button, hit the new button to include a GIF of a character from the Minions movie dropping a microphone for you. You know, when you've just gotten off a sick burn, or as Google's blogpost reads, "maybe you just nailed it, and there's nothing more to say (bam)". As far as April Fools' pranks go, this one is pretty tame. It's not even in your face, you can either humour it or ignore it. But, as we mentioned earlier, it's all in the execution.
The problem was that Google put their "fun" new button in the spot usually reserved for "Send & Archive", a command that sent your email and then filed it away for you. As expected, a lot of users found themselves clicking the new button out of habit, with one accidentally sending the email to 30 people, and another claiming the prank cost him his job. On top of that, many users also took to Twitter and Gmail's forums saying the feature was buggy, sometimes adding the Mic Drop to emails sent using only the Send button as well.
Google has since removed the feature and sent out an apology to users on it's blog, so there's no need to worry that you might face the same fate. But the day is still young, so it's probably better to be on the lookout for other "hilarious" news and features.
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 "dnaTechLaunch, April Fools' pranks, Gmail, Google, web app")
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