April Fools! Have a laugh (or three) at the internet’s expense

Here are some of the ridiculous April Fools pranks and jokes going around this year.

I've always loved April Fools' Day, but the internet brings the insanity of a day where everyone's encouraged to lie or otherwise prank each other to new heights. As a writer covering technology, these pranks can sometimes get a bit out of hand — especially when certain companies have a history of launching real products on April 1 — but for the most part, it's a rollicking good time.

This year, the internet (and its partner in crime, the Internet of Things) has not disappointed: We're collecting some of the delightful — and not so delightful — pranks, jokes, and random silliness on display this morning.

The Best

• Google is one-upping its 2015 April Fools' "Pac-Maps" prank: You now get to play Ms. Pacman around your neighborhood — no coins needed!
• Dark Sky's new visual map is 💯 and I hope it sticks around 🤘🏻
• Duolingo will ❌ teach you how to use 💩 effectively, but boy do I 🙏🏻 someone will. Someday.
• Reddit's latest experiment in multiuser cooperation involves placing a pixel on a grid and having fellow Reddit users help turn it into an image. Time will tell as to whether it will either be the world's best Draw Something game, or an endless canvas of pixelated poops.
• Twelve South wants to help you spruce up your AirPods and turn them into actual earrings — or is it "AirRings"?
• Waterfield Designs toys with a "Zen" case available to block all cell phone reception when you don't want it. (In all seriousness: I would buy this in a heartbeat.)
• Amazon has won the heart of iMore editor Mikah Sargent's dogs, who are enjoying using the new Petlexa feature to buy endless treats. (Sargent's wallet, not so much.)
• Forget Bumble or Tinder — when the end times come, you'll be glad you signed up for Apocalypse Mingle, the only dating site dedicated to rebuilding the human race after an alien invasion, zombie outbreak, or, y'know, humans accidentally blowing each other up. Match up your survival skills and be free to survive any and all disasters — natural or otherwise.

The Blergh

• Way to get my hopes up, Tough Mudder — I would spectate a Puppy Mudder in a second. There's even a mailing list to win a puppy. You toy with my heart.
• Google Gnome, the company's outside version of Google Home, might be a tad too niche for most users ("that's an indoor request"). Also, it's not for those without a macabre sense of humor.
• If your dream in life is to listen to Will Arnett comment on the most boring live-stream in the world, you'll enjoy Netflix Live. Otherwise, not so much. (After all, it's already been cancelled by Netflix.)
• I don't have much to say about Lyft Mono, the company's "thumb" hailer. It's about as bad as the Pokémon Go Plus tracker, which has the unfortunate designation of actually being a real thing.
• I know gadgets are getting more water resistant, but Think Geek's pitch for the "new" hot exercise trend, the Swim Desk, just makes me think of terrifying ways to electrocute yourself.
• With all these April Fools' jokes to click through, who has time for TV anymore? Not Hulu, which has rebranded as "Hu" and shortened all its shows to 8 seconds.

Not enough tomfoolery for you? The Washington Post has a good breakdown of the other pranks floating about the web for 2017, and if you spot a new one — let us know in the comments, so that we might all groan about it together.