April Fools' Day: How brands like Ola, OnePlus, Tinder are pranking you today

Last week, Microsoft announced that it has **banned its employees** from playing an April Fools’ Day prank. However, that has had no effect on other companies, who like many years in the past, have come up with witty pranks, that have left people scratching their heads and smiling in amusement. Among these pranksters are brands like Ola, Tinder, Lay’s India, who have ranged their hoaxes from mobile toilets to chips with fingerprint sensors. At the end of the article, leave us a comment and let us know, which prank did you think was most amazing, and which was cringe-worthy. [caption id=“attachment_6364261” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]  Image: Lay’s[/caption]

Ola Restroom

For a past few years, Ola has sincerely been participating in April Fools’ Day, and that makes it slightly easier to spot its pranks. However, full marks to the well-produced ads it makes, and how convincing they make the product sound. This weekend on 30 March, Ola tweeted about Ola Restrooms with a video along with the post. The product is basically a mobile toilet that users could book when they “really really have to go”.

Introducing Ola Restrooms. A place to go, for a generation that’s on the go. #OlaRestrooms #NoPressure pic.twitter.com/H7vQh0JktR

— Ola (@Olacabs) March 29, 2019

OnePlus car

This year OnePlus too has participated. It recently teased a picture on Twitter, that was essentially the silhouette of a car, with ‘Coming Soon’ written on top of it. With so many tech companies exploring the autonomous vehicle market, many fell for this one. But hey, you have been pranked!

Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/0Kn0ozIjYh

— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 29, 2019

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Tinder Height Verification badge

Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, is this even possible? But then again, Tinder really hit the right nerve with this one. Tinder wrote on its blog, “It’s come to our attention that most of you 5’10ers out there are actually 5’6. The charade must stop. To require everyone under 6’ to own up to their real height, we’re bringing truthfulness back into the world of online dating with the Height Verification Badge (HVB).” [caption id=“attachment_6364091” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Image: Tinder[/caption]

Lays with fingerprint sensor

Don’t you hate it when someone puts a hand in your packet of chips and there goes a fistful of them? To deal with that, Lays has rolled out a series of packets that come with fingerprint sensors, so only you can unlock the packet. Ain’t that cool? Khay. Joke’s over. Go home.

Lay’s India teased another one, which to be honest, almost had me convinced. This was to do with Pepsi flavour chips. :/

Snapdeal’s Smart shirt

Snapdeal too has joined this party. It just sent out emails to various publications about a Silicon Valley company called colourX, that will now be selling its ‘Smart Shirts’ on Snapdeal. This shirt apparently lets you change its colours using an app. And there, that was the giveaway! If you did fall for it, Snapdeal would have made you register with your mobile number, email address and name to “pre-book” the shirt, and bam, you were fooled. [caption id=“attachment_6364771” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Image: Snapdeal[/caption] Along with which pranks you like, also let us know if you got fooled today, or if you pranked someone.