UPDATE: Google has provided a couple of statements on this strange Google Maps image. The company told Mashable that this is likely the result of someone using its Map Maker tool and that while edits using that tool are typically moderated, “occasionally the odd inaccurate or cheeky edit may slip through our system.”
Meanwhile, Google told The Washington Post that it’s sorry for the “inappropriate user-created content.” As of this update, it looks like the image has been removed.
Most of us use Google Maps to get directions, but it appears that someone decided to use the mapping tool to poke fun at Apple instead.
If you navigate to a certain location in Google Maps, you’ll be presented with the image you see above, which shows Google’s Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo. The image is only available in Map view, disappearing if you switch over to the Satellite view.
Exactly who inserted this public Android urination into Google Maps is a mystery. It could’ve been some Google employee trying to get a laugh out of us, it could’ve been someone else using a tool like Map Maker — which lets users make updates to Google Maps — or something else. Now that the image is getting around, though, I’m sure that Google’s going to take it down quickly. Because while I’m sure that Google prefers its little green robot to Apple, I doubt that the company would do something like this.