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                       Gmail April Fools' Prank Backfires

   by VOA News

   An April Fools' joke that backfired has caused search giant Google to
   issue an apology.

   The prank allowed users of Gmail to send a "Mic Drop" reply to email
   threads, causing Gmail to send an animated gif of a minion character
   from "Despicable Me" dropping a microphone. The feature then muted the
   sender's thread, leading many to think the threads had been deleted.

   "Today, Gmail is making it easier to have the last word on any email
   with Mic Drop. Simply reply to any email using the new 'Send + Mic
   Drop' button. Everyone will get your message, but that's the last
   you'll ever hear about it. Yes, even if folks try to respond, you won't
   see it," read a post on the Official Gmail Blog.

   Many users were upset and voiced their concerns in the Gmail Help
   Forum.

   "Dear Google, please remove that stupid drop mic video button from my
   Gmail account. It is not welcome not useful. Tempted to go to Outlook
   just for that," wrote one user.

   Another user claimed to have been fired for sending an unprofessional
   email.

   "Thanks to Mic Drop I just lost my job. I am a writer and had a
   deadline to meet. I sent my articles to my boss and never heard back
   from her. I inadvertently sent the email using the `Mic Drop' send
   button. There were corrections that needed to be made on my articles
   and I never received her replies.

   "My boss took offense to the Mic Drop animation and assumed that I
   didn't reply to her because I thought her input was petty [hence the
   Mic Drop]. I just woke up to a very angry voicemail from her which is
   how I found out about this 'hilarious' prank," wrote the user.

   In the wake of the firestorm of criticism, Google took down the feature
   and apologized.

   "Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year. Due to a bug, the
   Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. We're
   truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing
   it, please reload your Gmail page," read the post from Google.

   Gmail itself was once seen as a possible April Fools' joke as it was
   launched on April 1, 2004.

   This year's Gmail prank was not the only April Fools' joke Google had
   up its sleeve. The company also released mock videos announcing a
   parachute delivery service and an "actual reality" headset.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-google-gmail-april-fools-joke-bac
   kfire/3264482.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/mht-google-gmail-april-fools-joke-backfire/3264482.html