8 Great Things You Didn’t Know Google Could Do

It’s no secret that Google is intent on taking over the world — in a good way. If you love Google, then you probably use a lot of their products and services like Gmail, Chrome, and Google Fiber. You can even get an education with Google Cultural Institute’s new Arts & Culture app that gives you a free pass to some of the best museums and archives in the world. But did you know that there are a lot of hidden and interesting features available on Google’s search platform? Here are some of the most useful, or weirdest, features you probably didn’t know about.

Google’s Timer and Stopwatch
Type in “set timer” or “set timer to five minutes” and a timer and stopwatch will show up in your browser. You can turn on the volume, or even make it full screen. This could be a great visual option for timing children’s games or activities.

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Zerg Rush.
When you type this phrase into your browser, Google’s Zerg Rush game appears. The object of the game is to destroy the O’s before they destroy the rest of the page.

Google Translate.
Type this into Google to access this feature. Translate a word or phrase from a specific language (or non-specified, if you know the word but not the language) and Google will tell you what it means.

Tip Calculator.
This is definitely one of the most useful options. Instead of trying to figure how to split a restaurant bill among multiple people on your phone, type “tip calculator” into Google to calculate the total per person, in addition to the tip percentage.

Define Words.
Type “Define” and then the word you want to look up. Google will then provide definitions of the word, synonyms, the word’s origin, and even translations.

The Weather.
Type “What is the weather” into the search bar and Google will give you the weather for your current location. It will tell you the current forecast in addition to the weekly forecast.

Book a Flight.
Tell Google where you want a flight to depart from and where you want it to go. An example would be “Flight from New York City to San Francisco.” Then choose your dates. Google will tell you the airlines available, the length of travel, and the price.

Currency Conversion.
Ask Google to “convert dollars to pounds,” or another command. Instantly find out the current exchange rate between two currencies.