Tech – Metro | Google search tricks to try out, from AR animals to Thanos and retro games

You might be surprised at what you can do with Google (Picture: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

With the UK now nearing its first month of lockdown, most people in the country have found themselves spending a lot more time than usual in front of their computer screen.

Which, for many, means a lot more time staring at Google and googling pointless things in the wee hours of the morning.

So whether you're looking for ways to entertain the children while schools remain closed, or just looking to kill time and try out new hacks on Google, here are some fun things you can try out without leaving the homepage.

AR animals

Meet wild animals up close with Google's popular AR animals function.

Simply go to the Google homepage on your smartphone and search for an animal of your choosing, for example, 'lion.'

Just underneath the image search results and the Wikipedia description of the animal, you'll be able to see a box that says, 'Meet a life-sized lion up close'.

Click the 'view in 3D' button that will be clearly displayed, then click 'view in your space' to see the animal in your own surroundings.

Google animals allows you to see lions, tigers and wolves up close (Picture: Google)

Animal sounds

Ever wondered what a raccoon sounds like, or an alpaca? Simply type 'animal sounds' into your Google search bar and you'll be greeted with an array of animals, whose sounds you can play directly in your browser.

Click on the speaker icon next to the animal of your choosing to hear what it sounds like.

Ever wondered what an alligator sounds like? (Picture: Google)

Do a barrel roll

This is an old, but gold, Google trick.

Type 'do a barrel roll' into Google and see your search results slowly cascade around your screen.

Thanos

Search 'Thanos' on Google and then click on his Infinity Gauntlet on the right-hand side of the screen, which appears beside his synopsis.

Once you click on it, the fingers of the glove snap, transforming the whole search page.

We won't ruin the surprise for you though, so you'll just have to try it out for yourself.

Unveil the magic of the Infinity Gauntlet (Picture: Google)

Google Snake

Feeling nostalgic? Just type 'Google Snake' into the search bar to unlock access to the retro Nokia game.

It's a bit of an upgrade from Nokia's early version of the game (Picture: Google)

Askew

Similar to 'do a barrel roll', type in 'askew' to see your search results twist to one side.

It doesn't serve much of a function, but it sure is disconcerting.

Breathing Excercise

Feeling a little overwhelmed and need to take a step back? Try out Google's free, one-minute breathing exercise.

Type in 'breathing exercise' into your search bar and play the video that pops up.

And… breath (Picture: Google)

Google Sky

You can fly through space, passing stars, galaxies, planets and virtually crawl the crater of the Moon and Mars, with Google Sky.

Simply type 'Google Sky' into your browser or go to google.com/sky to get started.

Solitaire

Another classic game available at the click of a Google search is solitaire.

Simply – you guessed it – type 'solitaire' into the search bar then choose your difficulty level.

No need to reshuffle the cards before playing (Picture: Google)

Google in 1998

Step back in time and see what Google looked like when it was first created, 22 years ago.

Type 'Google in 1998' in the search bar and transport yourself back in time.

See what Google looked like 22 years ago (Picture: Google)

MORE: Worked your way through the Google 3D animals list? Try out these other free AR apps

MORE: Android phones now have a very handy bonus feature thanks to Google's latest update

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