Google apologizes for April Fools' Minion Gmail prank

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 1 (UPI) -- Google backtracked on its 2016 April Fools' Day joke and apologized after the Minion-related prank caused headaches for Gmail users.

The prank saw the addition of a "MicDrop" feature to Gmail that allowed users to close an email thread by sending an animation of a Minion -- the animated characters that first appeared in the film Despicable Me -- dropping a microphone.

The button resulted in a flood of unforeseen complaints, as Gmail users who accidentally clicked the button found their email threads closed prematurely.

"Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year," Google said in a statement. "Due to a bug, the Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. We're truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page."

At least one person posting on the Google forums claimed to have lost a job.

"Thanks to MicDrop I just lost my job," the poster wrote. "I am a writer and had a deadline to meet. I sent my articles to my boss and never heard back from her. I inadvertently sent the email using the MicDrop send button."