News

Google is using a Street View escape room puzzle to tease its plans for the year

The teaser references the company’s summer developer conference and possibly the next version of Android.
The teaser references the company’s summer developer conference and possibly the next version of Android. The teaser references the company’s summer developer conference and possibly the next version of Android.

Google’s developer team appear keen to share teasers of what the company is planning for 2018 – having created a Street View-based puzzle for visitors to its website.

The tech giant’s official Developer’s account tweeted out a coded message referencing Google I/O, the firm’s annual developer conference, which normally takes place in May – complete with an image of what is in fact binary code, that leads to the events website.

Once there, Google Street View leads visitors on a tour of the Developer lab, with hints and highlighted items littered throughout each room offering clues on how to get to the next area. That’s right, it’s a Google escape room puzzle.

At the door of each room players must answer a question, based on the hints, clues and items they’ve spotted in that area.

Once through the initial lobby area perhaps the most interesting teaser of the whole experience can be found – a pineapple cake.

(Screenshot/Google)
(Screenshot/Google) (Screenshot/Google)

Google I/O is usually the event where Google first discusses the next version of Android, which each year is named alphabetically and after a “sweet treat”.

2017 was Android Oreo, which means 2018 will be Android P. Perhaps this is a hint that it’ll be Android Pineapple?

The conference doesn’t take place until May, so we might have to wait until then to get a definitive answer.

If you want to attempt the puzzle yourself you’ll need to crack the binary code in the image of Google’s initial tweet. Hint: you’re going to require a binary to text converter.