Tons of Google properties are getting Star Wars-themed Easter eggs today in an interesting new promotion celebrating the arrival of Disney’s highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, which opens on December 18, 2015.
Just point your browser at google.com/starwars/ and log in with your Google Account.
You’ll then be asked to choose between the Dark or Light sides of the Force. Depending on your choice, a number of Google’s most widely used web properties will be skinned and themed accordingly, including Gmail, Chrome and Google Maps.
This works on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, Mac and Windows PCs and Chromebooks.
âAwaken the Force within you. Choose a side and your Google apps will follow your path,â said Google. After making your selection, click the Join button.
The following Google services are participating in this promotion: Android Wear, Chrome, Chromecast, Gmail, Inbox by Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Now, Google Search, Google Translate, Waze and YouTube.
âOnce you choose a side, it may take a few hours for the Force to awaken within all your apps,â Google explains. Additionally, the transformation of Chrome, Gmail and YouTube can only be experienced on desktop.
As a nice bonus, Star Wars events will be automatically added to your calendar after you choose your side of the Force.
âChrome tabs, for instance, will show you pictures of crashed Star Destroyers, while the Street View marker in Maps gets re-clothed as a Rebel Alliance pilot or as a Stormtrooper,â Engadget explains.
âEven fan-favorite, the lovable yet scruffy-lookin’ rogue known as YouTube gets a lightsaber-colored playback bar depending on which side you pick.â
According to the official Google FAQ, Google Apps for Work, Education or Government accounts are not supported in this promotion.
âYou must sign in with your Gmail account to channel the Force across your Google apps,â said the search firm. With the exception of Google Search, Google Translate, and Waze you must be signed in with your Gmail account to use the full power of the Force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWNY57CAY5U
You can change your side of the Force at any point at google.com/starwars. Just drag your avatar to your preferred side and then click “Join” to follow your new path.
To return to your usual Google experience, drag your avatar back to the center and click Back to Default to have your Google apps return to their regular state. Your Google services will automatically return to their regular state by February 1, 2016.
On an unrelated note, it’s also Doctor Who’s 52nd birthday today.