Categories: Tech Gists

Just In: Google’s iOS app has a secret pinball Easter egg now

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The Google app for iOS appears to have been updated with a new Easter egg: a fun little pinball game hidden in the “Tabs” menu. As seen by many YouTube videos and a Reddit post from the middle of June, the game appears to have been added just a few weeks ago.

To play the pinball game, go to Google’s iOS app’s Tabs, um, tab, clear off any active tabs, and then wait for the colorful shapes to start creeping up from the bottom of the screen. If you swipe up on those shapes, the app will launch a surprising full-featured pinball game.

Each level spawns a variety of colorful patterns that shrink and eventually vanish with each hit, similar to a mix of pinball and Brick Breaker.

Each level introduces different bumper types and forms, as well as power-ups such as a heart that grants an extra life, a blue star that divides the pinball in half, and a yellow star that makes the ball larger and easier to hit. It also works without an internet connection if you’re stuck on a plane or subway and only has the Google app on your phone for entertainment.

Is the pinball Easter egg actually functional? Not at all. (I suppose the same could be said about traditional pinball.) But the existential essence of pinball is beyond the scope of this blog article; after all, I need to beat my previous best score.