Google promises Force Awakens goodies if you decide between the Light or the Dark Side

By Andy Boxall Updated November 23, 2015

Awaken the Force Within

Google is excited about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and has launched a special promotional campaign to make sure we’re all aware the new movie is now less than a month away from release. By choosing to support either the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force, all your Google apps and sites will get a special Star Wars makeover.

Getting involved is easy. Padawans need to visit google.com/StarWars, where you’re told to pledge allegiance to the Force, but with the option of going down the light or dark path. When you join, Google puts a filter over your profile image and adds the relevant insignia, which can also be downloaded for posterity. If you suddenly have a change of heart, and would like to follow a different way, then just hop back to the main page.

Related: Watch the first TV spot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

From here, Google will customize different sites and apps. For example, Google Maps will show iconic Star Wars vehicles marking your location, Gmail gets a Star Wars theme and wallpaper, and if you visit Google Play, you’ll find an updated version of Disney’s Star Wars app. The new version includes a Star Wars watch face for Android Wear.

Additionally, Google will add little Star Wars touches to YouTube, Calendar, Translate, Search, and Waze. The more you explore, the more you’ll discover. The changes are often very subtle. Check out Google Maps on the desktop, where if you’ve followed the Dark Side, the Street View stick man changes to become a little Stormtrooper. Have patience if you don’t see anything that different straight away, Google warns there could be a short wait before changes go live.

There’s more cool stuff to come, says Google, highlighting that it’ll add a virtual reality tour of the Millennium Falcon and other surprises between now and The Force Awakens release. That’s taking place on December 18, and we can’t wait.

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Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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