Although Google is a ubiquitous addition to modern life, its true potential is often understated. In fact, some of the best Google tricks include elements of whimsy and easter eggs that show the advancement of artificial intelligence. While these tricks may be superfluous, they’re fun to use. After all, we use Google in our everyday lives. Whether we’re searching for travel destinations or looking up the meanings of different words, Google is here to help. However, since we don’t really explore Google with a vested interest, these tricks and easter eggs are overlooked.
In this blog, you’ll get to know more about a few hidden gems and tricks by Google. In case you’re wondering about their utility, there’s none. These tricks are the same as a cool trick you’d show off at a party. Nonetheless, it goes to show that even Google can be used purely for fun. Having said that, let’s take a look at some of the best Google tricks you can use to show off to your friends and family!
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Do A Barrel Roll
The Google Do A Barrel Roll trick is one of the oldest tricks in the book. This trick doesn’t do much except make the Google page spin around a few times before recentering itself properly. To see this, all you’ll have to do is type “Do a barrel roll” in the Google Search bar. After you type this and click on Search or hit Enter, the animation will be initiated. Don’t worry though – your screen will return to normal after a few seconds!
Google Gravity
Gravity is one of the most important and powerful forces known to man. After all, the entirety of human physiology is based on the Earth’s gravitational pull. However, with the Google Gravity trick, you’ll be able to induce the gravitational effects on Google as well. For this, you’ll have to type “Google Gravity” in the Search bar. After this, click on the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. You’ll be redirected to an experimental Google mockup website, which has been created by Hi-Res.
You’ll also be surprised to know that this mock website of Google works perfectly fine. Of course, since the mock gravitational effects have set in, navigating the page will be much more difficult. Nonetheless, this is quite a cool Google trick and perfect if you want to prank someone!
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Thanos Snap
The Thanos Snap Google Trick took the whole world by storm in 2019, which was when it first appeared. This was a tribute to the MCU’s superhit movie, Avengers: Endgame. This easter egg is one of the best Google tricks out there, especially considering the pop culture reference. Basically, if you typed “Thanos Snap” in the Google Search bar, you’d also find Thanos’ supervillain biography on the right side of the page. Next to the villain’s name would be a Gauntlet icon. This is the Gauntlet that’s been shown in the movies, and if you clicked it, half of the Google Search results would be disintegrated – in a similar fashion to the movies.
Unfortunately, Google does not show this trick anymore on the actual page. Even if you type “Thanos Snap” on Google, you’ll have to select a mockup page called “elgooG”, which is a mirror image of Google. You can open the page and find the Gauntlet icon there. Clicking on the icon will cause the Gauntlet to snap its fingers and disintegrate 50 per cent of the results!
Atari Breakout
This next Google trick is for the gamers out there. Every seasoned gamer must have heard of the hit 1976 game, Atari Breakout. Following the success of Atari Pong, Breakout was released to some rave reviews. While the game isn’t available anymore in its original form, users can still give the Google version a try. However, this Google version isn’t very direct either. The Atari Breakout Google version is no longer available on Google itself. Instead, you’ll have to visit the elgooG website, which is Google’s mirror website. Before that, you’ll have to type in “Atari Breakout” in the actual Google Search bar.
The mirror website will come up as a search result. You can click on it and the game will start. A word of warning, though – the game is highly addictive and you might find yourself playing the game for hours on end!
Zerg Rush
Another neat Google trick that you should know about is Zerg Rush. This easter egg is also a game, technically. Alternatively, it’s also just a fun trick to watch unfold. Basically, after activating Zerg Rush, you’ll find that several Os start falling from the Google Search bar. They’ll jump and hop around the screen until the entire screen is overflowing with Os from Google. To avoid this, you’ll have to use your mouse pointer and click repeatedly to reduce the O’s life. In other words, you get a fun shooter game.
Unfortunately, you won’t find this Google trick on the actual Google site anymore. Instead, you’ll have to visit the Google Mirror site. However, you could also type in “Zerg Rush” in the Google Search bar and click on the “I’m Feeling Lucky” tab. This should also activate the Google trick!
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Flip A Coin
Considering how many factors go into every decision that we make today, the act of making decisions has become tough itself. To make things easier, plenty of us decide on certain things using a simple coin toss. However, what if you can’t find a coin at that particular time? Fortunately, the digital age is here to help. With the Flip A Coin Google trick, you’ll be able to toss a digital coin. This coin, like any other coin, has Heads and Tails. You can put your own conditions on either side and decide based on the coin toss’ outcome.
Although this is essentially an easter egg, it’s also one of the best Google tricks for a reason. You can actually attach real-world decisions on this like you would with a regular coin. Making decisions has never been easier in this digitized age!
F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
The iconic sitcom, F.R.I.E.N.D.S., celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. Considering how important the sitcom has been in terms of pop culture and today’s media, Google decided to give its own tribute to the characters. Since the show has quite a few main cast members, each cast member was assigned a tribute, based on the character that they played.
To activate this Google trick, you’ll have to type in the character name followed by the word “Friends”. Doing this will bring up the character actor’s name and biography. Next to this biography will be an icon that’s been assigned to the character. You can click on the icon to trigger a character-specific animation. However, it seems like Google removed has removed this feature now. Nonetheless, this Google trick was breaking the internet when it was first activated. Don’t be disheartened, though. You can type in “Friends Glossary” in the Google Search bar and go through words that are specific to the show!
Vintage games
Considering the amount of gaming easter eggs that Google has added to its trick list, you can be sure that the company is a big fan of game development. Moreover, vintage games have definitely played a huge role in both technological advancement and defining different eras of gaming. In case you want a trip down memory lane with the likes of Pac-Man, Google can help you out.
For this trick, a few vintage games such as Pac-Man, Minesweeper, and Solitaire are available. To activate the Google trick, go to the Google Search bar and type in the name of the game. For example, if you type “PAC-MAN” in the Search bar, Google will show you a PAC-MAN doodle with a Play button below. You can tap on the Play button and start playing some of these iconic games!
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Breathing exercise
We now live in a fast-paced world which constantly pushes us towards more work and hustling. While working hard is imperative for success, it can be a bit too much sometimes. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, or any similar feeling, you can now use Google to calm down and ground yourself. Considering the importance of this, breathing exercises are definitely one of the best Google tricks that we have today.
Using this Google trick is relatively simple. Google has added this feature to its Search engine. To make the best use of this, all you have to do is type “breathing exercise” in the Google Search bar. As you hit Search, Google will show you a simple 1-minute breathing exercise that you can use to calm yourself. The game will also provide you with basic instructions to follow so that you can get the maximum output from the easter egg. Quite an important Google trick to know, isn’t it?
Hidden languages
If you’re into pop culture phenomenons such as Star Trek and Game of Thrones, then you’re aware of the fictional languages that these shows create. This is done to bring more authenticity and deeper world-building into the show. However, did you also know that Google is quite fluent in these unofficial and fictional languages? In fact, Google actually supports plenty of these fictional languages, such as Klingon, Dothraki, Pig Latin, and even Pirate Language!
Of course, you can search these languages on Google at any time. You could also change your browser’s language settings to support fictional languages. For this, you’ll have to go to the Google Search homepage and then go to Settings. From there, click on Search Settings and find the Languages tab. Under the Languages tab, you’ll also find the More section. This is where you can add these fictional languages.
In other words, this is an excellent way to show off your fluency in Klingon or Dothraki to your friends!
Summing up
Google often keeps gems like these hidden to increase user engagement. Nonetheless, they are definitely quite fun to know about. After all, for a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan or enthusiast gamer, these tricks can definitely light up their day. This is why we’ve chosen a few of the best Google tricks to be showcased on this blog. Of course, there’s every chance that Google will add more tricks in the future. In case this happens, you can be sure that you’ll be seeing these new tricks on this list. Until then, keep following this space for more such topics!
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Anirban Dutta Choudhury
Writer, researcher, and avid gamer. Geeks out over postmodern novels and the latest PC games. Usually intends all his puns.
