Learn to Hack

It seemed appropriate that we announce the winner of the first White Hat Award for Technical Excellence on the Academy Awards weekend. This is, in essence, our "Oscar" here at Null Byte. Remember, this contest began on January 4th, 2016 and just recently closed on February 15t ...more

Disabling clunky, revealing link previews on Google Keep can serve multiple purposes. You know, those expanded versions of the same URL you pasted into your note, except duplicated, tacked onto the bottom of your note, and showing a preview picture. Removing these can help opt ...more

The Google Play Store is known for some pretty random promotions and offers, most of the time it's a free book or a discounted movie. But this time, an entire season for Game of Thrones is up for grabs. Yes, that's right, all of Season 5 of Game of Thrones is free to download, ...more

For many, the stock version of Android is often considered the epitome of what the operating system should look and feel like by default. It's clean and clear of unwanted extra apps that come pre-installed with the system, provides a fluid and fast user experience, and runs on ...more

Facebook released a new app in November 2016 that aimed to compete directly with Snapchat, but it was only officially available in Brazil—and still is. The app, called "Flash," is so much like Snapchat that it's not even the slightest bit of a stretch to call it a clone. Even ...more

The newest version of Snapseed features three awesome new tools for you photo-editing enthusiasts. The 2.17 update for the editing app was rolled out on Tuesday, March 21, and its new additions are something to behold. For those unfamiliar few, Snapseed is an award-winning pr ...more

Thanks to the Edge variants, Samsung's Galaxy S phones are just a few millimeters off in body size when compared to the Note series, and just 0.2 inches smaller when it comes to displays. Now that the two flagship models are almost identical in size—with matching curved displa ...more

Going out to dinner on a Saturday night can be more trouble than it's worth when you find yourself waiting for hours on end just to be seated. Thankfully, Google Maps has some very useful data that can save you from a headache the next time you head out to your favorite restau ...more

Drivers the world over are painfully aware of the inherent danger of taking their eyes off the road even for a second. In fact, according to the National Safety Council, 27% of all car crashes result from distracted driving due to attempted cell phone use. Fortunately, Waze co ...more

Now that Android Nougat lets you add your own custom Quick Settings tiles, your pull-down menu is probably getting a lot more crowded than it used to be, with all sorts of new and useful toggles. But the trouble is, you can only add up to nine entries before your Quick Setting ...more

Via WonderHowTo World, Cinematography: Lozzless demonstrates how to make a diy cheap macro lens with working aperture for his Canon 5D Mark II, coined the "SuperMacro". According to Hack a Day, "The process involves fashioning a connector ring from a lens cap, modifying an ...more

Even though smartphone audio quality has improved in recent years, the tiny built-in speakers aren't always loud enough. But if you want to turn the volume up to 11, all you need is a few household items to make a rig that will amplify your phone's speakers throughout the whol ...more

Apple just released the first version of the iOS 12.1.2 beta to developers on Monday, Dec. 10. The update arrives mere days after the Cupertino-based company seeded the official version of iOS 12.1.1 to the public, itself of which had been in beta development since Halloween. ...more

Apple released the fourth public beta for iOS 12 to public beta testers on Tuesday, July 31, just one day after the company seeded the fifth developer beta to eligible users. Both releases are surprising, as Apple had appeared to stick to a two-week release schedule for the iO ...more

Despite numerous reports announcing its stateside arrival, "Final Fantasy Awakening" has yet to show up in the iOS App Store, much to the chagrin of millions of fans in the U.S. Unfortunately, the game seems to be stuck in soft-launch limbo, with no word as to when it'll land ...more

One of Android's biggest strengths is its ability to interact with other operating systems. When you plug your phone into your Windows PC, you instantly see all of the files it holds—and all it takes is a simple syncing app to do the same with Mac. To top that off, apps like P ...more

Within the last week, there have been at least three times when someone asked me to play a good playlist. This is always a tough call. What if I play something that nobody likes? I probably will. With SoundCloud, you don't need to have that fear. The app is ready with the per ...more

Apple Watch doesn't include a multitasking feature like its iPhone companion, so there's no way to show active apps or swipe up to force-close one. Watch is an extension of the iPhone, not a replacement, so including a fully-functional multitasking feature seems impractical. ...more

Creative thoughts are fleeting, so when an idea strikes, you have to jot it down as quickly as possible or risk forgetting it altogether. Let's say you randomly think of a perfect tweet while you're using your phone. You exit whatever app you were using, head to the home scree ...more

In iOS 12, Apple included new, Snapchat-like effects and stickers for photos and videos in Messages. While these new options are fun, they're missing something that takes away from the appeal, especially since Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and similar apps already let you do ...more

The gym can be pretty distracting. With the slamming of weights and pieces of equipment, loud music blasting through the speakers, and plain old grunting, it can be challenging to focus on your workout. However, with your just your phone, you can not only eliminate these distr ...more

Thanks to backups, Signal conversations can span over multiple years and multiple phones. These archives can get rather large as you share photos, videos, and other files with friends. But between the other apps and large files on your phone, you might not be able to afford to ...more

The beauty of Nexus devices is they receive firmware updates faster than any other Android phone, and keep getting updates for years longer than most of the competition. This means that you can always use the great new features that come along with an Android update, and even ...more

On September 1st, 2015, Google made headlines by introducing their new logo. It may not seem like huge news to some, but as I write this, there have been 2,167,914,729 searches on Google so far today. So there's a large amount of people who see their logo when browsing the Web ...more

You would think that with each major iOS update, there'd be fewer ways to bypass the lock screen. Unfortunately, Apple's developers have consistently failed every year since 2013 in this department, leaving open lock screen exploits for iOS 7, iOS 8, and now the latest iOS ver ...more

Verizon customers who use the Samsung Galaxy S7, beware: a recent update installs new bloatware over your existing bloatware that installs new bloatware. Confused or pissed off? You should be, as this app can install new apps onto your phone without you knowing. Verizon Galax ...more

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I rented a bed in a tiny studio. I was too broke to afford my own place, so all I had was a mattress in someone else's apartment. Unfortunately, this person had no interest in cooking, and therefore no kitchen equipment whatsoever. To make ma ...more

After months of beta testing, Siri Shortcuts has finally arrived on all iPhones that support iOS 12. Anyone familiar with Workflow will understand how useful it is to set custom Siri commands for your favorite apps. Of course, your favorite apps need to be compatible with Shor ...more

Many websites are crowded with ads, pictures, and other irrelevant content that make it harder than necessary to read a simple article on your iPhone. In many cases, you have to zoom in just to get a better view of the text you're attempting to read—unless the webpage blocks z ...more

Consider the radish. This root vegetable is so sadly misunderstood sometimes, and that makes us sad because we adore its spicy flavor and crunchy texture. We're always on the lookout for unique food items that can be turned into a dish of wow and wonder with just a few simple ...more

We've been expecting the latest Android Pie update for current Samsung flagships like the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 for some time now, but Samsung's running behind schedule in the United States. Thankfully, it appears that One UI has finally started rolling out for some lucky S9 ow ...more

In a huge surprise, Verizon is the first US carrier to push out the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ Android Oreo update. The update has been available in international markets for some time now, but this is the first report of a rollout in the United States. We've already ran down all t ...more

If you haven't heard yet, Google is revamping the Play Store with version 8.0. While it so far doesn't seem to have any life changing features, there are ones that certainly will make your life easier, like their new updates feature. A few months ago, Google Play launched a n ...more

Great news, zombie killers! Zombie Gunship's long overdue sequel, Zombie Gunship Survival, has finally arrived for iOS and Android devices as a soft launch available for download in the Philippines—which means that with a little tinkering, you can play the new game in any coun ...more

It's only normal to snack on a few french fries every once in a while when you're on a diet, but it's still important to hold yourself accountable, even when you cheat just a little bit. MyFitnessPal, for both Android and iOS devices, has a database of nutritional information ...more

Google Play Music has teamed up with TripAdvisor to make planning your next vacation a little more fun, and they're throwing in a nice deal for good measure. Google is offering new subscribers a free two-month trial of its music streaming service when you install the TripAdvi ...more

If you've been getting that "Please update from the iOS 12 beta" alert continuously in iOS 12 public beta 9, Apple just issued a fix for it Friday, Aug. 31, with iOS 12 public beta 10 — just in time for Labor Day weekend. This marks the second update this week as dev beta 11 a ...more

The Shadow Brokers, a hacker group known for its dump of NSA hacking tools in 2016, has just leaked their remaining set of data which implies that the NSA compromised SWIFT, the global provider of secure financial services, to spy on banks in the Middle East. The hackers have ...more

When you need to know how to get somewhere, Google Maps is the app to beat, but the king of navigation doesn't want to stop there. Google aims to make its navigation app for more than just directions, as made clear by its recent feature that lets you follow businesses in the a ...more

HDR, or high-dynamic range, is currently the best way to view movies and TV shows on your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. With a wider color gamut and a broad luminance range, there's no beating HDR video for the ultimate viewing experience. Unless, of course, you don't have the storage t ...more

Crossfades are a great way to get from one scene to another. They bridge the gap between two video clips in a fresh, fun way. But can you even use this transition in a smartphone editor? You bet you can, and it's extremely easy. Adobe Premiere Clip, available for Android or i ...more

Essential — the smartphone company started by Android co-founder Andy Rubin — is set to release its bezel-less smartphone before the end of June. The highly-anticipated phone is set to be stocked full of features, including an edge-to-edge display, magnetically-connecting 360- ...more