Google Play hasn’t posted since its Sonic-related breakdown

The Google Play Twitter account has stopped posting outside of what appear to be automated replies to app queries after a supersonic blunder of a thread yesterday.

Just in case you missed it, the official Twitter account for Google Play treated us to a mind-bending thread on April 29, 2024. The thread claims to show images of Sonic the Hedgehog getting older as you scroll down, but all it does is share images out of time and context, with captions that made very little sense. Today, after what looked to be quite the ordeal that resulted in every single post in the thread getting a Community Note, the account has gone silent.

The Google Play Twitter account still hasn’t explained why it unleashed unhinged Sonic facts

Google Play’s Sonic thread has nine posts and now has a Community Note on each individual post. This is because the images don’t match what the account is saying about them at all, though they are good for a laugh if you need one. The official Sonic the Hedgehog account even chimed in at one point to ask, “What are you doing?”

That’s the question on everyone’s lips today, because the account has only replied to a few people’s help queries ever since posting the thread. I’m sure there are multiple people on Google’s end trying to think of the best way to come back from this.

It’s impossible to know exactly why Google Play posted so many incorrect images and captions about one of the most iconic characters in video game history.

What seems pretty certain is that something went wrong with the account. Once the Sonic posts had stopped, users figured out that they could get it to respond to whatever they posted as a reply. The best example I found is from user Gabriel Engel, who asked it to help with his lawn.

Whatever the issue was here, there’s no way for Google to come out of it looking clever. Every Sonic post being incorrect is funny enough for the social media account of an app store that hosts games, but the ongoing replies and sheer amount of attention it has drawn have me and many others waiting with bated breath for the first post-Sonic post that, hopefully, explains everything.