"Harry Potter" fans were delighted to find out about the fun little trick their Android phones can do. The Easter egg involves "casting" the wand illumination charm to turn on the smartphone's flashlight function.
Find out how you can do it on your Samsung, too!
Samsung 'Harry Potter' Easter Egg
The Easter egg was first shared by a Facebook user on the UK Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook Group, per Edinburgh Live. The woman tagged a few fellow Potterheads to let them know of the little trick. Her post gained more than 1,500 likes and over 2,500 comments, urging other fans of the franchise to try it out.
The comments also included people confirming that the trick was real and expressing their delight over the newfound "magic."
Harry Potter spells work on my smartphone WTF... Lumos Maxima turns on the flashlight.
— Shantanu Khandelwal (@shantanukhande) April 16, 2020
Try saying the spell after Okay Google voice command. pic.twitter.com/9PjUORZqGK
How to "Cast a Spell" on Your Samsung Phone
According to the Facebook post, users simply need to hold the Home Button until Google pops up. Then they need to say the spell "Lumos" to turn on the flashlight. To turn it off, the user needs to say the counter-spell "Nox."
Alternatively, the user can also activate Google by saying "OK, Google" then say "Lumos Maxima," Mashable added.
This little Easter egg was set up by Google and Warner Bros. back in 2016 as part of its promotional campaign for the "Harry Potter" franchise spin-off "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." It seems like Google decided to keep it in their system to this day as a little treat to any Muggle who wants to feel a little bit more magical.
In the films, "Lumos" is the wand-lighting charm that allows witches and wizards to light the tip of their wands to act as a flashlight. "Lumos Maxima" is the amplified version of the "Lumos" charm. While "Nox," on the other hand is the wand-extinguishing charm that snuffs out the light at the end of the spell caster's wand.
I spell LUMOS and KNOX in my Google Assistant and this is what happened š³ā”ļø pic.twitter.com/V6ucoo7gNk
— G R E Y šŗ (@greyyyfox) July 24, 2021
What is even cooler is this little light trick does not need to end with the smartphone.
According to Mashable, with a little tweak of some settings, anyone can program their smart home assistants and smart lights to react to the word "Lumos" and "Nox."
Depending on the smart home assistant, Google Assistant, Amazon Echo, or Apple Homepod, the simple use of IFTTT can automate the process of using the wand-lighting charm to turn on your lights, even user not as proficient with more complex programming skills can perform these simple tweaks.
Another way is to install some Philips Hue smart lights and set "Lumos" as its nickname within the Philips app. Users could also use "Lumos Maxima," a more blinding flash of bright white light in the films but in the Muggle application of the charm, to activate the whole system. When it is time to turn everything off, just say "Nox."
