Tech giants' best April Fools' pranks of 2026
Here are how some of the top brands flexed their marketing chops this April Fools’ Day with single day launches and "too good to be true" tech.
April Fools’ Day entails 24-hours of light-hearted jokes and pranks that entertain the youngest to the oldest.
Many companies use the opportunity to stretch their marketing chops and bring out their best silly branding schemes. If your favorite brand is advertising something that seems too good to be true on April 1, it probably is. Several technology brands especially enjoy joining in on the fun, to exercise their marketing chops and get a little laugh.
Here are some of the most standout April Fools’ pranks from different tech companies.
Metro by T-Mobile CALLoGNE
While the everyday plans at Metro by T-Mobile remain available, starting at $40 for unlimited talk, text, and 5G data, the network advertised its “CALLoGNE” for April Fools’ Day. The would be fragrance carries notes of Eau de New Phone, with the promotion featuring models holding a phone-shaped perfume bottle. Instead, customers will have to settle for purchasing a new device for that “new phone feeling,” the brand said.
Yahoo’s Scrōll Stoppr
Yahoo! attempts to help people quell their smartphone dependency this April Fools’ Day, with a finger accessory called the Scrōll Stoppr, which hinders you from doom scrolling. The accessory is akin to an ergonomic thimble for your thumb for regulating smartphone usage. Yahoo shared a dramatic promotion across its social media platforms, showing how the Scrōll Stoppr can return you back to regular life activities when you’re not distracted by your phone. The brand even has units of the Scrōll Stoppr on sale for the duration of April 1, on Yahoo’s TikTok shop for $4.99 plus free shipping.
Fortnite April Fools’ Update
Developers of the popular video game, Fortnite, released an interesting update for April Fools’ Day, which will be available for only 24 hours. The characters are edited with huge heads and can ride on each other's shoulders. Sound effects are updated to include “pew, pew” finger sounds and splat sounds when a character falls. The update has also introduced llamas that players can ride.
Snapchat Reals
Snap Inc. has used April Fools’ Day to take a jab at its competitors with an announcement rebranding its Spotlight feed on Snapchat under the name “Reals.” This mirrors the name of Instagram’s Reels feature, which also serves a similar function, producing 60-second vertical video clips.
The company’s co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel took to social media to discuss the change, highlighting the “real” aspect of the “Reals” feature, and that users can “keep it Real on Snapchat.”
Vintage Macintosh Accessories
The team at WaterField Designs created a unique April Fools’ Day prank, featuring accessories for long-retired Macintosh products. These include a backpack for the Macintosh SE/30 and a belt holster for the Apple Newton. WaterField Designs described the Macintosh SE/30 backpack as made of “durable waxed canvas and full-grain leather” to “outlast the technology it carries.” The Apple Newton Ranger Holster was described as “built for frontier-level productivity.” Both accessories were priced at $2,026 on their product pages, with the purchase button set to “sold out.” Customers likely got them during their respective 1987 and 1993 launch dates.
Stream Deck Plus Lever
The consumer hardware brand Elgato, had some fun with the gamification of gambling this April Fools’ Day, creating a promotion for its Stream Deck Plus Lever. The concept emposes a slot machine add-on. Elgato created an elaborate product page, full of important sounding brand speak. The company noted “this jargon doesn’t mean anything we just thought it sounded kinda cool.” Clicking on the product page to try and activate the level results in more April Fools’ Day hijinks
MSI MEG Cat Holder X87
MSI’s April Fools’ Day prank may actually be a desired accessory for many cat owners. The consumer electronics brand shared a promotion on its social media channels for an “MEG Cat Holder.” The accessory is essentially a cat bed that can attach to computer monitors, allowing cats to climb up and rest without interrupting owners from their device usage. MSI boasts the accessory’s specifications as a monitor arm with an attachable cat bed. The arm comes in white or black color options, can extend in a 90-degree rotation, has customizable RGB, and a built-in heating pad. MSI cheekily added that Mochi the Cat, featured in the promotional images, is not included.
Many fans on X responded with questions about the MEG Cat Holder, as if it were a real product. They inquired about whether the accessory would be able to support the weight of their chunky felines (MSI claims the MEG Cat Bed X87 supports weights up to 67lbs). They also shared images of their own cats named Mochi.
Verizon x Connor Storrie
Verizon’s April Fools’ Day prank was a horror-style theatrical trailer directed by Nia DaCosta and featuring actor Connor Storrie. The four-minute short film pokes fun at slasher movies and technology issues as Storrie believes he’s in danger in his remote cabin. He then realizes his Verizon-powered phone in his back pocket was triggering the smart home features that were spooking him.
Sega Sanic Collection
Sega has released an official “Sanic Collection” t-shirt line for April Fools’ Day, featuring three t-shirts Sanic, Shewdew, and Knackles t-shirts that will be available for purchase only on April 1st.
Dyson Airwrap Fur
Dyson Beauty’s cheeky April Fools’ Day promotion is the Airwrap Fur, a range of products for pet styling. The promotion features dogs, cats, and horses with beautifully coiffed coats and manes. For specifications, Dyson says the Airwrap Fur has flea detection and delivers 90% more bounce, while the Airwrap Topcoat gives 80% sheen. Joke’s on Dyson. The brand doesn’t realize the bougie pet owners and groomers who might actually purchase these products.