April Fool’s Day: 10 harmless tech pranks to play on your friends or colleagues

Mondays are usually dreadful, but this one is special – it’s April first, after all. Whether you are the certified trickster of your group or just want to get in the April Fools’ spirit, there’s no reason why you can’t prank someone today. Wondering what are simple, harmless, yet fun pranks you can pull off today? If you are around gadgets, here’s what you can do.

10 harmless April Fools' tech pranks

Here are our favourite 10 pranks that involve a bit of tech snooping.

1. Autocorrect mishaps
2. Wallpaper slideshow
3. Display flip
4. Rename away
5. Switch wireless connections
6. Change mouse speed
7. Change video call background
8. Enlist the virtual assistant
9. Use extensions and apps
10. Rickroll them

1) Autocorrect mishaps

This one works on any gadget with a keyboard, however, is more fun on a smartphone. Just tweak their autocorrect – let “no” become yes or vice versa. If your target is very particular about their grammar and you are feeling diabolical, you can autocorrect “there” to “their” and “your” to “you’re”.

2) Wallpaper slideshow

If you know what someone’s wallpaper is, just make 5-7 copies of it in a single folder. Now, open any one of the images and tweak a small detail in it – maybe the colour of a flower or add a random emoji. Now, set the photos from this folder as a wallpaper slideshow from the device settings and watch your target lose their mind about something seeming off.

ALSO READ: How to change your iPhone wallpaper

Bonus: If you don’t have enough time to do the slideshow, just take a screenshot of their home screen. Delete all the app shortcuts they have on it and replace their wallpaper with the screenshot you took. At first glance, everything will look the same. But then watch their confused faces become frustrated when they realise clicking on the app isn’t opening it!

3) Display flip

Simply right-click on their Windows laptop home screen and click on “Display Settings” in the pop-up menu. Scroll down a bit to find Display Orientation and choose “Landscape (flipped)”. Click on Keep Changes and watch your target go crazy using their device. In the case of a MacBook, you need to click on System Preferences > Displays > Rotation 180 degrees. Oh, and did we mention that using the mouse is a pain too?

4) Rename away

From files on a laptop to contact names on a mobile, you can rename anything you want to whatever you want. Are they not a fan of Taylor Swift? Maybe their files are now all named after her songs. Or Mom becomes Dad in their contacts. There is no limit on the chaos you can unleash with mere renaming.

5) Switch wireless connections

This prank works best in an office environment where multiple people use wireless mice or displays. Just switch the receivers of everyone’s mice or disconnect/connect to each other’s devices. Then, fill your coffee mug (or a tub of popcorn) and enjoy the havoc it creates.

6) Change mouse speed

We are all used to our computer pointer moving at a certain speed. This prank involves switching up the speed. Whether it’s a MacBook or a Windows laptop, just go to the mouse/trackpad settings and change it. You can either change it all the way to drive them crazy instantly. If you enjoy a slow burn, you can change the speed by a few points – enough to notice a difference, but not enough to know what the difference is.

7) Change video call background

If you work remotely, this prank is for you. Whether you use Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, you can change the background of your video feed to any image or video you like and tack on a filter. It can be something absurd as becoming a fish to something mind-boggling as the room behind you appears upside down. Our favourite is this guy making a Zoom background of himself accidentally walking into the room.

8) Enlist the virtual assistant

Using “Shortcuts” on iPhones and “Routines” on Android phones, you can automate certain tasks. A routine I have set on my phone is the front camera opening whenever someone says “Show me a joke”. If you have an Alexa smart speaker at home, you can change the language or speed with which the speaker responds.

9) Use extensions and apps

There are several Chrome extensions and apps available on the Play Store and App Store that can help you prank people. From this Nick Cage extension that changes all images on a webpage to those of Nick Cage to broken screen apps, there is a whole world out there for you to explore.

ALSO READ: The 12 most common types of malware

But be careful while downloading any third-party apps and files – they shouldn’t infect the device.

10) Rickroll them

It may have started as an April’s Fool prank, but Rickrolling is no longer restricted to this day. And that’s what makes it fun – it is almost unexpected because of how expected it is.

Send a message about your target’s favourite shop being on sale with the link leading them to the “Never Gonna Give You Up” song. Or if you are feeling particularly evil, you can ask your colleague to check their appraisal rating on the link.

No matter which of these pranks you decide to pull, don’t forget to first gauge how the person might react to it. The prank might be something harmless, but it should end up with you laughing with them, not just at them.