Evil Google Store bug makes people think they have $500 to spend

Some things are too good to be true, just like that $500 credit you’re seeing on the Google Store.

The Google Store just got a redesigned account menu. When you tap on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the page, you’ll see a neatly designed menu with new icons. However, you might be surprised to see you have $500 worth of Google Store credits waiting to be spent. The message appears right under your profile picture in the account menu.

Before you start planning that Pixel 6 purchase, it might serve you well to know that the magical $500 credit is just fairy dust. It doesn’t actually exist and is a UI bug that appears if you have any Google Store credit whatsoever.

Folks at 9to5Google managed to replicate the bug with three different accounts. Each time, the $500 credit disappeared on the final checkout step. Guess Google played its April Fool’s Day prank a bit later than it had to.

In other news, Google still has some ongoing Earth Day deals on its store. You may not be able to save as much as $500, but you can pick up Nest devices with some neat discounts.