Mini-games and more

Easter eggs: Google is hiding these secrets

(Bild: ©isaac - stock.adobe.com)

Easter eggs are booming these days. So-called Easter eggs, small hidden games or gags that programmers have left behind in applications, can be found all year round. Even on Google. For all those who are tired of searching, we reveal some of the hidden secrets.

One of Google's best-known Easter eggs is certainly the Chrome Dino. It has been appearing in the Chrome browser when there is no internet connection since 2014. Just tap the screen or press the space bar on your computer and it will start running. If you don't want to wait until the next internet outage, you can also find it on chromedino.com.

If you want to pass the time, you can also find other mini-games via Google search and play "Pacman", "Snake", "Solitaire", "Minesweeper", "Tic Tac Toe" and "Fidget Spinner" directly in the browser - just enter the relevant search term. If you want to play the arcade classic "Atari Breakout", on the other hand, you should search for it "By chance!".

(Bild: Google)

Barrel Roll and a slanted screen
If you want to see what it looks like when Google does a complete barrel roll, you should enter "do a barrel roll". If you enter "askew" into the search field, the search screen tilts to the right.

For nerds
Fans of the sci-fi classic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams will already know the answer, but everyone else should search for "the answer to life, the universe and everything". Entering "Conway's Game of Life", on the other hand, launches a two-dimensional simulation of a mathematical system developed by John Horton Conway in 1970 at the top right of the search results page. A search for "recursion", on the other hand, sends users into an endless loop and replies: "Did you mean: Recursion".

(Bild: Google)

For Friends fans
Google has also hidden a few Easter eggs for fans of the US series "Friends": If you search for the series names of the main characters (i.e. Joey Tribbiani, Phoebe Buffay or Ross Geller, for example), you will find an icon in the corresponding Knowledge Graph. Clicking on it starts a small animation that reflects the character of the show.

Easter Eggs on Google Maps
But it's not just Google's search, but also the Maps service that has a few hidden Easter eggs up its sleeve. For example, if you navigate in front of the fictional time machine "Tardis" from the series "Doctor Who" in London (you can find it here), you can enter it and discover a few surprises.

(Bild: Google)

Users can view the world from above like an astronaut if they zoom out really far on Google Maps (or click here ). It is also possible to travel to different planets. The map service is also suitable for playing the classic mini-game "Snake". Via snake.googlemaps.com, users on Android and iOS smartphones and desktops can collect passengers in various cities around the world.

Changeable Pegman
The Pegman, the yellow little man with which users can switch to the Street View view on Google Maps, is also extremely versatile: If you drag it onto a street in Area 51, for example, the icon changes into a UFO, at Buckingham Palace it transforms into the Queen, in Hawaii into a mermaid and at Loch Ness in Scotland into the famous sea monster.

On the other hand, if you want to be a detective in search of the world's best thief and track down her prey, you can do so in the Google Earth game "Where on earth is Carmen Sandiego?".

Google Assistant
Last but not least, Google has also hidden digital Easter eggs in its voice assistant Google Assistant. For example, if you want to surprise someone with a birthday song but would rather not sing it yourself, all you have to do is say "Hey Google, sing Happy Birthday".

(Bild: AFP)

"Ok Google, tell me how I can have a say in soccer", on the other hand, provides all users who know little about offside and the like with the right conversation starter, and anyone who asks the Assistant whether they can beatbox will receive the right musical answer. Users can also use "Hey Google, give me a superpower" to reveal their very own superhero ability.