TL;DR
- Google Search has a new Pokémon-themed Easter egg.
- You can catch the original 151 Pokémon by searching their names.
- Each Pokémon you catch will get you closer to earning Master Balls that can be used to catch legendary or mythical Pokémon.
It’s not uncommon for Google to occasionally inject a little fun into the Search experience. For example, around the time the movie Wicked came out, the company had an Easter egg where the search results floated upward like bubbles rising from a cauldron. Now Google has a new Easter egg for all the aspiring Pokémon masters out there.
If you have recently Googled a Pokémon while on your phone, you may have noticed a fairly recognizable sphere hanging out near the bottom corner of your screen. That sphere is a Poké Ball, and it’s part of Google’s latest Easter egg. The original 151 Pokémon are hiding on Google Search and you can catch (or search) ’em all.
The way it works is you enter a Pokémon’s name into the search field and hit enter. You should see a Poké Ball in the bottom right corner. Tap on the Poké Ball and the Pokémon will jump out from the side of the screen for you to catch it. After it’s caught, you can check out every critter saved to your collection. As you continue to catch new Pokémon, you’ll earn Master Balls that can be used to catch legendary and mythical Pokémon.
This Easter egg is only available on mobile. Keep in mind that you’ll want to be logged into your Google Account as it’s necessary for saving your progress.
