Bug on Screen
The bug on screen prank puts a life-size ant, fly, spider or cockroach on the display. Each one walks on legs that plant and step, casts a small shadow and runs when a finger comes near, so the first swat only makes it bolt.
Poke a bug and it runs. To end the prank, press and hold for a second, or press Esc.
For the best results, add this to the device's home screen. It then opens with no address bar, no tabs and no URL, so there is nothing left to give it away.
Pick the bug, how many, and what sits behind it: white, black, or a picture of your own. Use a screenshot of the home screen and the ant on screen looks like it is crawling over the real thing. If you want something with more menace, the fake virus alert is at the other end of the scale; for another leave-it-running screen, try the DVD screensaver.
How to use the bug on screen prank
- Pick the bug, how many, and what goes behind it. For a phone, take a screenshot of the home screen first and choose it under Your picture.
- Press Launch Full-Screen Prank. On a computer, press F11 if a tab strip or address bar still shows.
- Hand the device over, or leave it where it will be seen. The bugs walk in from the edge of the screen.
- To end it, press and hold anywhere for about a second, or press Esc. A quick tap only scares the bug.
Ant on screen, fly, spider or cockroach: how each bug moves
The ant wanders in loose curves, stops for a moment with its feelers working, then sets off again. Choose Lots and the ants form a line that crosses the screen in both directions, the way a real column does.
The fly walks in short quick bursts, stops, rubs its front legs together, then takes off and lands somewhere else. The spider stands dead still for seconds at a time and then darts. The cockroach is the biggest and the fastest: it runs, stops with its long antennae sweeping, and runs again.
Every bug is drawn live, so no two runs look the same. A single bug sometimes walks off the edge of the screen and comes back from another side. There is no sound.
Use your own screenshot so the bug crawls over the real screen
A web page can only draw inside its own tab, so it cannot put a bug over other apps. The way around that is a picture. Take a screenshot of the home screen or the desktop, choose it under Your picture, and the bug crawls over what looks like the real screen. The picture fills the display, so a screenshot from the same device fits exactly.
The picture is read on the device to show it behind the bug. It is not uploaded, and it is gone when the tab closes. Keep in mind that it is only a picture: the icons in it will not open, which gives the game away if someone tries to use the phone.
Plain white suits a screen that could be showing a blank page or a document. Black suits a TV or a monitor that looks switched off.
What happens when someone swats the bug
A tap or a click near a bug sends it running, and a fly takes off. Quick taps never end the prank, so the bug survives the first poke, and the second, and the third. Wiping a normal monitor with a sleeve does nothing at all, because the page cannot feel it.
To end it, press and hold anywhere for about a second, or press Esc. Leaving full screen ends it too. While the bugs are out, the page asks the screen to stay awake on browsers that support it.
People also put ants on a tablet for a cat to chase. A paw that taps the glass scares them the same way a finger does.
Who to leave out of the bug on screen prank
Skip it for anyone with a real fear of insects, and think twice about the spider and the cockroach in particular. For most people the reaction is a flinch and a laugh, but for someone with a phobia it can be real distress, and laughter from the room makes that worse.
Think about the screen as well. A hard slap at a spider can crack a laptop display or knock a phone to the floor, so stay close enough to say what it is. Keep it off screens used for presentations or video calls.
For a calmer screen to leave running, try the DVD screensaver. For more ideas for the same day, see the April Fools pranks list.
Bug on screen prank video
Frequently asked questions
Is there a real bug on the screen?
Not from this page. The bugs here are drawn on the page, and they vanish when you press and hold the screen or press Esc. A real insect on the glass stays where it is.
How do you get rid of the fake bug?
Press and hold anywhere on the screen for about a second, or press Esc on a keyboard. It's a web animation, so there is nothing to clean, wipe or remove afterward.
Can I choose which insect it is?
Yes. Pick an ant, a fly, a spider or a cockroach, and choose one, a few or lots of them. With lots of ants they walk in a line across the screen.
Does the bug react when you touch it?
Yes. Tap or click near a bug and it runs away from the spot. The fly takes off and lands somewhere else on the screen.
Can the bug crawl over my real home screen or desktop?
A web page cannot draw over other apps. Take a screenshot of the home screen or desktop and choose it under Your picture, and the bug crawls over that, which looks the same until someone tries to open an app.
Is my picture uploaded anywhere?
No. The page reads the picture on the device to show it behind the bug. It is not sent anywhere, and it is gone when you close the tab.
Why does everyone try to swipe it off?
Because reacting to something crawling in front of you happens before any thinking does. People swat first and reason afterwards, which is why this gets a real reaction from people who would see straight through a fake error screen.
Can I send the bug prank as a link?
Yes. Share the page address and the bugs start when the person presses Launch. Adding ?bug=spider to the end of the address (or ant, fly or cockroach) picks the bug for them.
There is a real ant inside my monitor. What should I do?
Do not press on it. A squashed insect between the layers of a screen leaves a mark that does not come out. Switch the monitor off and give it time to walk out; small insects are drawn to the light and warmth of a lit screen and tend to leave once it is dark and cool.