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There’s nothing more embarrassing than going caroling and then forgetting the words during the second verse of “Deck the Halls.” But Google’s got you covered.
The search giant’s latest Easter egg is spreading holiday cheer by turning mobile devices into festive karaoke machines.
Android and iOS users can type “Let’s go caroling” into your phone or tablet’s Google Search app to choose from five famous carols each with corresponding music and lyrics. Tap your favorite, press play, and sing along to “O Christmas Tree” without missing a beat.
For those who can’t hear your phone’s speakers, or don’t have headphones plugged into your tablet, a red bouncing ball follows the words, though don’t rely on it 100 percent, since it tends to lag on its way to the beginning of the next line.
It’s unlikely users will be too unfamiliar with the carols, though; all five represent traditional tunes sung around the tree for years: “Jingle Bells,” “Up on the House Top,” “Deck the Halls,” “O Christmas Tree,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
The trick works only on mobile devices; don’t expect to find the same options on your PC’s Web browser.
This isn’t Google’s first Christmas-themed Easter egg. In December 2011, users who typed “let it snow” into Google.com could skim through results for YouTube videos of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra singing the classic tune as snowflakes fell from the top of the screen, and eventually obscured the entire page.
Google tends to celebrate other holidays with similarly hidden treats. This Halloween, Google.com served up spooky search terms, including advice on how to avoid zombies: “Don’t join a dance troupe led by a man in a red leather suit.”
Meanwhile, Google introduced users to the inside of Doctor Who’s TARDIS and Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, and once turned image search results into a Breakout arcade game.
For more, see PCMag’s roundup of other Google Easter eggs.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/news/lets-go-caroling-with-googles-latest-search-easter-egg