Science & Tech

The hidden Google features you never knew existed

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When it comes to the internet, Google is king.

According to Internet Live Stats there are over 3.5 billion searches made a day on the search engine, and around 1.2 trillion searches a year.

But Google isn't just for searches - there are plenty of hidden features and abilities you may never have even heard of.

From Easter eggs and shortcuts, to games - here are just a few of the features you might be missing out on.

Translate symbols, letters or characters by drawing them

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If you are having trouble identifying a symbol from another language and need a little assistance, why not draw it?

Google Translate gives you the option to manually draw a symbol - it will then try to translate it for you.

Pronounce numbers in English

We're not sure how helpful this would be but just in case you need to say a really long number, just punch it into Google and add "= English" at the end.

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Set a timer

Need a timer but your phone isn't working? Just type how long you need i.e. "five minutes" and "timer" into Google and it will give you the countdown you need.

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Google Sky

Are you a fan of astrology but don't have access to a telescope.? Just head over to Google Sky and explore the solar system from the comfort of your front room.

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Tip calculator

If you are one of those people at a restaurant who is adamant that everyone pays an equal tip, this one's for you.

Type "tip calculator" into Google and it can do it all for you.

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Zerg Rush

This mini-game requires you to stop all of the Os from eating your page by clicking on them. It is surprisingly stressful.

Atari Breakout

Another highly addictive mini-game hidden in Google is Atari Breakout. All you need to do is search for 'Atari Breakout' and click on images and the game will become active.

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Filter your Gmail account

Tired of being inundated with newsletters for websites that you never visit, but can't be bothered to unsubscribe?

Google has developed a handy way around this by allowing you to add filters which will then send unwanted mail to separate folder.

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Google Arts and Culture

Google Arts and Culture allows you to view the collections of around 600 art galleries and museums from around the world.

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View all of the old Google Doodles

Everyone loves a Google Doodle, but where do they go when their time is up?

Luckily Google has an archive for all of them. All you need to do is hit "I'm Feeling Lucky" without anything in the search bar.

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Ngram Viewer

If you are a real wordsmith and want to learn how popular certain words have been throughout history you can use Google Books' Ngram Viewer.

This allows you to type in a series of words, which Google will then try to find in more than 5 million books. The popularity will then be displayed in a handy graph.

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Barrel Roll

Last but not least is the barrel roll. This is just a bit of pointless fun but if you type "Do a Barrel Roll" it will do just that.

Thanos

If you search the name of the Avengers villain and click on the Infinity Gauntlet, links and images on the page will begin to disappear as if they had just been snapped away.

The Wizard of Oz

Another movie theme easter egg is 'The Wizard of Oz' which Google released for the classic film's 80th anniversary earlier this year.

The feature sees the film come to life again after you click on Dorothy's ruby red slippers, which turns Google black and white and then back again.

HT BuzzFeed

More: Six things you should never, ever Google

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