April Fools' Day

By MacRumors Staff

'April Fools' Day' Articles

Happy April Fools' Day 2019: T-Mobile's Phone BoothE, Hyper's Ultimate Ultimate Hub, LEGO's Find My Brick App, and More

Monday April 1, 2019 6:20 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
The calendar has once again turned over to the first of April, and that means that April Fools' Day pranks will be running rampant online for the next day or so. With that in mind, as you browse the internet today you should be very wary of everything you read, particularly regarding any stories or announcements by major brands. As a point of comparison, last year companies teased their customers with tennis shoes that had smartphone features (T-Mobile), socks that could control your TV (Roku), and beer that made you fluent in another language (Duolingo). This year you can expect the usual companies to join in on the pranks, potentially including Google, Netflix, T-Mobile, and more. April 1, 2019 is also the 43rd anniversary of Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976. Apple products and services are usually targets of April Fools' Day pranks, but the company itself doesn't typically go all out for the event, besides a few humorous jokes sometimes added to Siri. Check out the highlights from this year's April Fools' Day hoaxes in the list below. T-Mobile Phone BoothE T-Mobile is again fighting one of the so-called pain points of the wireless industry with the launch of the Phone BoothE, a completely sound-proof and high-tech phone booth that lets T-Mobile customers escape from noisy areas to make their phone calls. Inside the Phone BoothE you can charge your devices, connect to a smart screen called "Magenta Pages" to mirror your smartphone display, and adjust the lighting to take great selfies. In regards to the
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Google Maps Gains Version of Classic 'Snake' Game for April Fools' Day

Monday April 1, 2019 2:15 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Google Maps has temporarily gained a new trick for April Fools', with users of the mobile app able to play a geographical version of the classic game Snake. To play the game, simply launch the Google Maps app, tap the menu icon in the top-left corner of the interface, then select Play Snake. Pick which city you'd like to play in – options include Cairo, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney and Tokyo – and then start picking up as many passengers as you can without bumping into yourself or falling off the map. Snake rolls out on Android and iOS today, and Google says it will be available to play in the app for about a week. A standalone site has also been set up for anyone who wants to feed their Snake addiction beyond that time. Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link
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Happy April Fools' Day 2018: T-Mobile Re-Launches 'Sidekicks', Roku Streaming Socks, Brewolingo, and More

Sunday April 1, 2018 4:00 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
April Fools' Day is here once again, and this year it falls on the same day as Easter. As you browse the internet today, be forewarned that many of the stories, press releases, and announcements discovered over the next few hours will likely be hoaxes made by companies with a proclivity for teasing their customers every April 1. If the past few years have been any measure, you can expect bizarre Apple-related accessories, an absurd product or service unveiling from T-Mobile, wisecracks from Siri, and much, much more. It's also worth noting that April 1, 2018 marks the 42nd anniversary of Apple, which was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, who sold his share of Apple back to Jobs and Wozniak for just $800 later in 1976. All these years later, Apple's products have now become a major target for April Fools' Day pranks, along with jokes coming from companies, apps, services, and accessory makers that are well-known by Apple users, which we've accumulated in a list below. T-Mobile's Smartshoephone T-Mobile is bringing back the classic Sidekick smartphone for a new generation with the world's first "Smartshoephone," called the T-Mobile Sidekicks. Company CEO John Legere said that the Sidekicks are optimized for unlimited data on T-Mobile ONE, include a slide-out screen like the original Sidekick, have near-field "toe tap" communication with fellow Sidekicks, and more. T-Mobile usually leans towards wearable tech for its April Fools' Day pranks, in 2016 introducing a hands-free binge-watching headset and in 2017 showing
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Happy April Fools' Day 2017: Siri, iFixit Micro Tech Toolkit, AirRings, Ms. Pac-Man Maps, and More

Saturday April 1, 2017 6:54 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Today is April 1, 2017, otherwise known as April Fools' Day, and as you are likely aware that means over the next few hours you should be highly wary of anything you see, read, or hear online. As MacRumors has covered over the past few years, tech companies love to prank their customers with silly products, out-there announcements, and largely weird press releases meant to highlight the jovial holiday. April 1, 2017 also marks the 41st anniversary of Apple, with Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne having solidified their partnership on this day all those years ago in 1976. Now, Apple itself has become a major target for April Fools' Day pranks, as well as various other companies, apps, services, and accessory makers that are well-known by Apple users. We have collected some of the more interesting hoaxes and jokes into a list below, but remember that some contain mildly NSFW content and language, so you may want to use headphones or watch the videos in a private location. Siri Siri is recognizing April Fools' Day in some of its responses today, including refusing to flip a coin upon request. iFixit's Micro Tech Toolkit iFixit has announced an all-new toolkit that it says is aimed at the smallest devices on the market, including the Apple Watch and AirPods. The $19.95 Micro Tech Toolkit comes with a magnetized driver handle, easy-to-open tool roll, micro pliers, micro spudger, an iFixit micro opening tool, and three precision bits. Thanks to the vast array of tools being sold on iFixit's online store, the Micro Tech Toolkit is at first a
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Happy April Fools' Day 2016: SpatiaFlight AirPlay, Google Cardboard Plastic and More

Friday April 1, 2016 1:17 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
April 1 is here again, and as with every April Fools' Day that comes around, readers should be on the alert for hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites. As tradition would have it, plenty of today's pranks involve Apple and tech. Here are a few of the more intriguing ones that are making the rounds so far today. Bear in mind that some of the hoaxes may be NSFW, so after-office viewing or headphone donning may be the safest option. SpatiaFlight Moshi launches SpatiaFlight, the next generation of AirPlay. T-Mobile #BingeOnUp Service T-Mobile are offering Binge On Up!, a truly mobile binge-watching experience free to all their customers. Google Cardboard Plastic Google announces Cardboard Plastic, for the ultimate immersive "AR" experience. Other Pranks and Hoaxes Autonomous RV – World's first self-driving trailer van Virgin America – Introducing the airline's dubious new logo Product Hunt – Product Hunt acquires Yahoo in all-stock deal Mark for H&M – Mark Zuckerberg exclusive fashion collection Lexus V-LCRO – Revolutionary human-machine interface for tackling hard corners Android Developer Story – The Guardian goes galactic with Google Play This post will be updated throughout April Fools' Day with the latest pranks and
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Happy April Fools' Day 2015: HiRise Toast, Pets Unleashed and More

Wednesday April 1, 2015 5:22 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
As happens every year on April 1, today is April Fools' Day, and readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites. Today also represents Apple's 39th anniversary, with their partnership having officially been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. As has become tradition, a number of today's pranks have focused on Apple and tech, and here are a few of the more interesting ones to surface so far today. Keep in mind that some hoaxes may be mildly NSFW, so turning down your volume or watching later may be best if you are at work or in a public space. iFaxit Repair your Apple products using iFixit's repair manuals, now sent through fax. HiRise Toast for iMac Twelve South announced the HiRise Toast, an iMac stand that doubles as a toaster. T-Mobile Pets Unleashed T-Mobile introduced Pets Unleashed, a revolutionary new family plan that lets your pets get their paws on the hottest smartphones and stream the latest animal-related content without using up your data. The plan includes several apps such as Fetch Freedom, FitPet and Pet Tinder, ensuring that your dogs, cats and entire family stay connected. Apple Watch Teardown iFixit tears down the Apple Watch, except not the one you're probably thinking of. Tesla's Model W Tesla announced a new product line that pokes fun at the Apple Watch, the Model W. The Model W is a watch that tells the time and the date, and will improve your health. If you exercise. And it's available in platinum. This incredible new device from Tesla
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Apple Buys iFixit, and Other 2014 April Fools' Jokes

Tuesday April 1, 2014 7:48 am PDT by Kelly Hodgkins
Today is April Fools' Day, which means readers should be wary of what they read online as much of it will be a gross hyperbole created in the name of fun. Today also marks Apple's 38th anniversary, with the company having been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Among the popular April Fools' Day jokes making the rounds today are the following: Apple Acquires iFixit Based on the number of tips we've received, iFixit wins the award for the most believable Apple-related April Fools' prank for 2014. The popular device repair company changed its entire website to announce that it is being acquired by Apple. It’s finally here. We're thrilled to announce that we are joining forces with Apple starting this summer. It has been an exciting adventure for all of us at iFixit, and we can’t thank our dedicated community enough. Let’s start our next chapter together. BookBook for iMac Twelve South, which offers a popular line of book-themed iPhone, iPad, and Mac notebook cases, has introduced its largest version yet: BookBook for iMac. SwiftKey "Flow Hard" for Physical Keyboards Popular alternative keyboard SwiftKey, which recently began experimenting on iOS, announced "Flow Hard", a version of its gesture-input technology for physical desktop/laptop keyboards. The new Flow Hard is guaranteed to increase your typing speed and your overall productivity. Nest and Virgin America Team Up on Personalized Airline Seat Climate Control The now Google-owned Nest partnered with Virgin America to bring Total Temperature Control to
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Happy April Fools' Day 2013: RunKeeper for iPad, iPlay Game Console, and More

Monday April 1, 2013 11:05 am PDT by Eric Slivka
As happens every year on April 1, today is April Fools' Day, and readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites. Today also represents Apple's 37th anniversary, with their partnership having officially been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. As has become tradition, a number of today's pranks have focused on Apple, and here are a few of the more interesting ones to surface so far today. RunKeeper for iPad For those users not content with the small iPhone screen to help track their runs, RunKeeper has announced RunKeeper for iPad.We’re always trying to do more to make running and getting in shape easier and more intuitive. In the process, we’ve discovered that for many of our users, the phone screen is just too small to get all that important real-time fitness information into one convenient place. iPlay Game Console IGN today shared a "promotional video" for a new "iPlay" game console from Apple, including a numbers of features such as motion control and an extensive library of launch titles. iWatch TechCrunch points to a video from AppleInsider.ru showing off Apple's "iWatch" project, which actually turns out to just be a premium-priced wrist strap to allow users to attach their iPhones and iPads to their wrists. Orange Teardown Tired of tearing down Apple products to examine their internals and assess their repairability, iFixit has moved on to a different fruit with its new Orange teardown. MacRumors has not participated in April Fools' Day prank news stories in the past, and have no
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iPad Hungry Hungry Hippos and Other April Fools for 2012

Saturday March 31, 2012 10:57 pm PDT by Arnold Kim
It's April 1st again -- also known as April Fools' Day. Today also represents Apple's 36th anniversary, having been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Here are a couple of the more ambitious pranks floating around the internet today: Hungry Hungry Hippos for iPad ThinkGeek has introduced a modernized version of the classic Hungry Hungry Hippos game for the iPad, but now with "capacitive-padded heads." Electronic Hungry Hungry Hippos iPad Game is everything you remember about HHH. All four hippos are present and hungry, except this time, the hippos fit over your iPad and the game board is an app! Readers will remember that ThinkGeek first introduced the iCade as an April Fools prank that later became a shipping product. Google Maps for NES Google has created an 8-bit version of Google Maps for the NES platform - a cartridge based game console from the 1980s. You can explore it yourself on Google's maps site.
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Happy April Fools' Day: April 1, 2011

Friday April 1, 2011 7:25 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Today is April 1, 2011 and represents April Fools' Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. Today also represents Apple's 35th anniversary, having been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Among the popular April Fools' Day jokes making the rounds today: - ThinkGeek is offering a Playmobil Apple Store Playset with an available "Line Pack" of extra figures to allow kids to accurately simulate the Apple retail store experience. - Self-repair proponents iFixit have actually released an iPhone 4 Oppression Kit for those customers whose devices have standard Phillips screws and who find those screws too easy to remove. With the new iPhone 4 Oppression Kit, users can replace those screws with Apple's new pentalobular screws, making it nearly impossible to open their iPhone if they lose the compatible screwdriver included in the kit. - Google is debuting Gmail Motion a new Gmail interface that takes advantage of the user's webcam to interpret gestures and other motions for controlling Gmail. Google has of course rolled out a number of other April Fools' Day features from its different product teams, including a "1911" YouTube filter that turns any video into a sepia-toned silent film. MacRumors does not participate in April Fools' Day prank news stories, although we have in the past occasionally supplemented our coverage with such special features as a Big Bunny Bundle and Page 3 rumors.
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Happy April Fools' Day: April 1, 2010

Wednesday March 31, 2010 9:01 pm PDT by Doctor Q
Today is April 1, 2010 and represents April Fools' Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. For example, Australian Macworld reports that Apple is dropping its computer line in favor of iPhones, iPods, and iPads, while ThinkGeek announced an iPad Arcade Cabinet: Today also represents Apple's 34th anniversary -- Apple was founded on April 1st, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak -- and this week is the peak of publicity and excitement over the upcoming release of Apple's iPad. While we avoid tainting our news stories with April Fools jokes, we've provided our own Aprils Fools' Day surprises in the past, including our Big Bunny Bundle and Page 3 rumors.
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Happy April Fools' Day: April 1, 2009

Tuesday March 31, 2009 9:13 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Today is April 1st, 2009 and represents April Fools' Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. Today also represents Apple's 33rd anniversary, as the company was founded on April 1st, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. April Fools' Day pranks around the web (to be updated): - Adding "&flip=1" to a YouTube page results in an interesting view: Example: Apple's 1984 commercial (flipped) - Google Australia's gBall MacRumors does not participate in April Fools' Day prank news stories. All stories posted today are real.
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Happy April Fools: April 1, 2008

Monday March 31, 2008 8:29 pm PDT by Arnold Kim
Today is April 1, 2008 and represents April Fools' Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. Today also represents Apple's 32nd anniversary. Apple was founded on April 1st, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. While we avoid tainting our news stories with April Fools jokes, we've posted hidden April Fools' pages in the past: 2007. MacRumored - MacRumors circa early 1990s 2006. MacRumors Page 3 - Mac News and Rumors You Can't Believe April Fools around the web: - Youtube is Rick Rolling their Featured Videos. - Gmail Custom Time - gDay with MATE MacRumors readers should reload their pages if there are design inconsistencies with our page today. MacRumors does not participate in April Fools news stories. All stories posted today are real.
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Happy April Fools: April 1, 2007

Saturday March 31, 2007 8:01 pm PDT by Arnold Kim
Today is April 1, 2007 and represents April Fool's Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. Today also represents Apple's 31st Anniversary. Last year's April Fools' was met with much of anticipation. Many were certain that Apple would celebrate their 30th anniversary with some form of announcement. No announcements were made. Enjoy the
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April 1 2006; Apple's 30th Anniversary and April Fools 2006 [Update]

Friday March 31, 2006 8:00 pm PST by Arnold Kim
Today is April 1, 2006 and represents April Fool's Day -- so readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites today. Today, however, also represents the 30th anniversary of Apple Computer. Steve Jobs commented on this particular anniversary during his Macworld San Francisco keynote speech, and suggested there would be some recognition of the day. Many felt that Apple would use the event to launch another product or hold a media event. And while rumors suggested the possibilities of Video iPods or Intel iBooks but as the date approached, there has been no evidence that any such event would take place. In fact the most recent report stated that Apple would not be holding any such event for its 30th anniversary. Update: In case you missed it, you can read our Page 3 Rumors from April
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April Fool's Day: April 1, 2005

Thursday March 31, 2005 11:59 pm PST by Doctor Q
Today is April Fool's Day so be wary of hoaxes and practical jokes, especially at news sites.Despite the date, rumors that Mac OS X Tiger will be announced today have not changed.Real announcements are sometimes made on April Fool's Day, such as Google's announcement of Gmail last year. Apple Computer itself was founded on April 1, 1976, with today being its 29th birthday.However, even respected web sites sometimes post humorous or misleading stories in recognition of the April Fool's tradition, so be especially cautious about the accuracy of news you hear
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April Fools: April 1, 2004

Thursday April 1, 2004 3:20 am PST by Arnold Kim
Happy April Fools... Rumors and rumor sites are particularly susceptible to today's holiday... so be wary of everything you read today...
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April Fools: April 1, 2003

Monday March 31, 2003 8:31 pm PST by Arnold Kim
Today marks April 1st -- or April Fools Day. Rumors, and rumor sites in general tend to draw their share of "April Fool"ers. Please refrain from posting April Fools posts in all but the Community Discussion forums to prevent an overflow of these postings. And keep this in mind while visiting other sites on this day...
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April Fools Stories

Friday March 31, 2000 2:55 pm PST by Arnold Kim
Be warned, April Fools is upon us, and as a result, every mac writer with a html editor and a dialup connection think they're just about the funniest thing
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