Prank · April Fools
Mic Drop, the Gmail prank that backfired (2016)
For April 1, 2016, Gmail got a Mic Drop button that sent a dismissive animation and closed the conversation for good. The button sat too close to the send button, and a bug let the regular Send trigger Mic Drop. After complaints, Google pulled the feature, apologized and said it should have asked for confirmation.
There is no official image with documented origin for this record yet. The museum prefers showing no image to using one of uncertain origin.
Dates
- April 1, 2016 Date · exact date [1]
What the sources say
| Claim | Record | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problems admitted | No confirmation, a button next to Send and a bug that triggered Mic Drop | 3 · Secondary source | [1] secondary |
Historical captures
No archived capture has been located for this record yet.
Sources
- Google apologizes again for its ill-fated 'Mic Drop' prank — Richard Lawler — Engadget, April 1, 2016. Source secondary · accessed November 2, 2026 · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
What still needs documenting
- Official Gmail post with the apology
On GD
GD has followed Google since 2006. Search GD for “Mic Drop” (in Portuguese)
How to cite
"Mic Drop, the Gmail prank that backfired (2016)", Google Museum (GD), https://gd.eurisko.com.br/museu/en/collection/gmail-mic-drop-2016/, CC BY 4.0. Reviewed on November 2, 2026.
ID: gmail-mic-drop-2016 · Reviewed on November 2, 2026