{"id":42486,"date":"2023-10-20T15:21:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/google-apologises-after-its-april-fools-joke-backfires-with-one-person-claiming-they-may-have-missed-out-on-their-dream-job-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:21:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:21:34","slug":"google-apologises-after-its-april-fools-joke-backfires-with-one-person-claiming-they-may-have-missed-out-on-their-dream-job-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/google-apologises-after-its-april-fools-joke-backfires-with-one-person-claiming-they-may-have-missed-out-on-their-dream-job-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Google apologises after its April Fools\u2019 joke backfires, with one person claiming they may have missed out on their dream job – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Google has taken the rare step of apologising after a Gmail plugin it made for April Fools\u2019 Day \u201ccaused more headaches than laughs\u201d.<\/p>\n

The \u201cMic Drop\u201d gag, which involved creating a button so people could send a Minions<\/em>gif and mute all further responses to an email chain, has resulted in Gmail users venting frustration online.<\/p>\n

One person even claimed he may have lost the opportunity to score his dream job after accidentally sending the gif to a potential employer and therefore muted any responses he might receive.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only am I mortified of the mistake, but this could potentially cost me my dream job,\u201d the man wrote on the Gmail Help Forum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a horrible, horrible idea with potentially irreparable damages for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Another Gmail user said the feature is \u201cscrewing up\u201d important email correspondence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sent out an important email to 30 recipients and I inadvertently clicked the \u2018mic drop\u2019 send,\u201d the person wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to resend it without that, but it was too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement on the Gmail blog, Google apologised for the April Fools\u2019 gag.<\/p>\n

\n

View post on imgur.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe heard feedback that some of you were negatively impacted by this feature, so we quickly turned it off late last night,\u201d Google announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, we are working to bring back mic-dropped messages that had subsequent replies to your inbox so you can read those. We realise many of you use Gmail for very important messages, and we are sorry if Mic Drop was in any way harmful to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The internet giant says it should have asked users if they wanted to turn on the feature, instead of automatically updating it for everyone.<\/p>\n

In addition, Google says the \u2018send mic-drop\u2019 button and other send buttons were too close together.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, sorry,\u201d Google wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love April Fools jokes at Google, and we regret that this joke missed the mark and disappointed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google is renowned for its elaborate April Fools\u2019 Day hoaxes.<\/p>\n

In 2004, the company announced it was looking to hire people to be based at a fictitious research centre on the moon.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in 2010, Google announced it was testing a feature that would allow Google Translate to help humans communicate with animals.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on SmartCompany.<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow<\/i> StartupSmart<\/em> on<\/i> Facebook<\/i>,<\/i> Twitter<\/i>,<\/i> LinkedIn and SoundCloud.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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