It's that time of the year again when tech companies around the world are gearing up to pull off their best April Fools' Day pranks. While some of these pranks may seem harmless and fun, others could potentially mislead or offend their customers.
Independently owned Windscribe VPN last year informed all their users they were being bought by the “GAPE Corporation for $696,969,420” and rebranding to “BSVPN.” This led to a surge of customer support tickets, tweets, and Reddit threads from concerned customers that were wary of yet another VPN being acquired by a large corporation.
As of 2023 many VPNs over the past few years have been bought by large media conglomerates who spend millions of dollars acquiring VPN companies and VPN review websites. This has left only a handful of independently owned VPNs still operating.
Luckily, they revealed that it was just a prank and their users were both overjoyed and relieved to hear Windscribe take the official stance that they would not entertain bids from corporate owners.
This year Windscribe picked a safer object of mockery to poke fun at – the Password Manager industry, now worth $2.35 billion USD in 2023 and set to grow to $7.13 billion USD by 2030.
Windpass – Forget Everything You Know About Password Management.
Introducing Windpass. The password manager that remembers nothing.
This stunt is clearly riffing on the multiple breaches suffered by the password manager, LastPass, in 2022.
LastPass admitted that a threat actor had obtained a cloud storage access key and dual storage container decryption keys, which allowed for the copying of customer vault backup data from the encrypted storage container. Recently, it was revealed the scale of the breach was worse than first disclosed and that a senior developer’s master credentials and vault were also compromised. This allowed the attackers unprecedented access to the LastPass development infrastructure. The worst breaches to date of a password manager tool ever to occur.
Windscribe says that the prank is intended to be an amusing yet healthy reminder to their users to not leave all their sensitive data with a single point of failure. Windscribe confirmed they will never truly go into the password manager industry, as their focus will remain on privacy and security in the VPN space, which they've grown to 58 million users in 2023.
Despite the risks, many tech companies continue to come up with creative and witty ideas to prank their customers on this day every year.
The Best 13 April Fool’s Pranks From The Past Few Years.
1. Google Maps: MS. Pac-man
In 2018, Google Maps introduced a feature that allowed users to play the classic arcade game “Ms. Pac-Man” on their map.
Users could click on an icon of the game character and the map would turn into the game's iconic maze, complete with power pellets, ghosts, and fruit. The game was available on the desktop and mobile versions of Google Maps, and players could compete with friends for high scores.
2. Netflix: Netflix Live
In 2017, Netflix introduced a fake movie called “Netflix Live,” which was just two hours of actor Will Arnett (BoJack Horseman) making sarcastic comments about whatever was happening on screen.
The fake movie was presented as a live-streamed show, with Arnett sitting in front of a fireplace and providing humorous commentary on things like a potted plant, a TV playing static, and an empty studio.
3. Tinder: Height Verification
In 2019, Tinder introduced a new feature called “Height Verification,” which required users to upload a photo of themselves standing next to a building or landmark to prove their height.
The feature was presented as a way to combat “height-fishing,” where users would exaggerate their height in their profile. The prank was met with mixed reactions, with some users finding it funny while others felt it was insensitive to people who are insecure about their height.
4. Snapchat: Rainbow Mouth
In 2016, Snapchat introduced a filter that turned users' selfies into a rainbow-spewing mouth, complete with sound effects. The filter was a nod to the popular internet meme of the time, in which people would create videos of themselves with rainbow mouths and post them online.
An improvement over when they faced backlash for a “Bob Marley” filter that allowed users to superimpose Marley's face onto their own. Many users accused the company of promoting blackface and cultural appropriation, leading to a public apology from Snapchat.
5. Lyft: Mono
In 2019, Lyft introduced “Mono,” a fake ride-sharing service that only offered one-seater vehicles.
The company claimed that the service was perfect for people who wanted to “experience the joy of ride-sharing alone” and promised to provide riders with “a true one-on-one experience with their driver.”
6. Google: Screen Cleaner
In 2019, Google introduced a new feature called “Screen Cleaner,” which used advanced technology to clean your phone's screen by emitting ultrasonic waves.
The prank was introduced as a way to solve the problem of dirty phone screens, with Google claiming that the feature would even remove “the toughest grime, grease, and smudges.”
7. Spotify: Discocover Weekly
In 2019, Spotify introduced “Discocover Weekly,” a playlist of disco versions of users' favorite songs.
The playlist was presented as a way to help users “rediscover your favorite songs in a whole new way,” with disco versions of popular songs like “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and “Thank U, Next” by Ariana Grande.
8. YouTube: SnoopaVision
In 2019, YouTube introduced a new feature called “SnoopaVision,” which allowed users to watch videos with Snoop Dogg.
The feature was revealed as a way to “experience YouTube in a whole new way,” with Snoop Dogg providing commentary on popular videos like “Gangnam Style” and “Charlie Bit My Finger.”
9. Adobe: Photoshop Camera
In 2019, Adobe introduced a new app called “Photoshop Camera,” which used artificial intelligence to automatically edit your photos.
The app was presented as a way to “take your photography to the next level,” with features like “Auto Portrait,” which would automatically blur the background of your photos, and “Posterize,” which would turn your photos into colorful, poster-like images.
10. Airbnb: Humanless Host
In 2017, Airbnb introduced a new feature called “Humanless Host,” which promised a completely automated Airbnb experience.
A promotional video was released where a host wearing a smiley on a helmet wandered around performing host duties.
11. Tesla: Toilet Humor
In 2018, Tesla introduced a new feature called “Toilet Humor,” which made fart sounds every time the driver used the turn signal.
The flatulence can be adjusted from “Falcon Heavy,” and “Ludicrous Fart,” all the way to “Boring Fart” — all references to Elon Musk ventures.
12. Microsoft: Excel for Cats
In 2019, Microsoft introduced a new version of Excel called “Excel for Cats,” which included features like a “Purrformance Review” and a “Kitten Carousel.”
13. Amazon: Petlexa
In 2017, Amazon introduced a new feature called “Petlexa,” which allowed pets to use Alexa to order food, play music, and more.
The Petlexa feature was stated to allow dogs, cats, and other animals to communicate with Alexa just like humans do.
It's said that laughter is the best medicine. And while that may not always be true, it does reduce stress, improve cardiac functions and bolster your immune system. So look for the value rather than frustration posed by the tech guys trying to give us a good laugh. After all, April Fool's Day comes but once a year.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Sam Allcock is the founder of PR Fire. His team help small to medium-sized businesses achieve coverage in publications like Yahoo Finance, Daily Mail, Metro, USA Today, MSN News, The Huffington Post, and The Telegraph through smart press release distribution.