Open Settings in the camera and tap Restore Purchases at the top.
Use the same Apple ID you bought it with.
Sharing and export come back. The purchase is tied to your Apple ID, not your phone, and it survives deleting and reinstalling the app.
How much does ByteBox Camera cost?
It's free to download and shoot. A one-time $4.99 in-app purchase through Apple unlocks sharing and export. There's no subscription. Void Research never sees your card number.
What does the $4.99 unlock include?
Everything you shoot is free: every lens, the pixel editor and import. The one-time unlock adds sharing and export: Modern (hi-res) and Native (true-to-pixel) exports, ASCII as text, saving to Photos or Files, and sending to Messages or any app in the share sheet. One purchase, forever, on every iPhone signed in with your Apple ID.
Can I share the unlock with my family?
No. The unlock isn't available through Family Sharing, so each Apple ID needs its own purchase.
I paid, but sharing is still locked.
Open Settings in the camera and tap Restore Purchases at the top. If you bought it a moment ago, wait a minute and try again; Apple sometimes takes a little while to confirm. If a family organizer's approval (Ask to Buy) is pending, sharing unlocks once they approve.
Restore didn't work.
Check you're signed into the same Apple ID in iOS Settings, under your name, then Media & Purchases.
Check your connection. Open Settings in the camera and tap Restore Purchases at the top.
Still stuck? Contact support with the date of purchase. We can't see your payment details, but Apple's receipt helps.
How do I get a refund?
Apple handles payments and refunds. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. Void Research never sees your card number.
Lenses + editing
What lenses are there?
Instant (classic square or wide, with handwritten captions), ASCII, 8-bit (including Handheld mode: 128×112 in Original (green), grayscale or full color, with 11 frames to choose from, like film strips and a smiley border), 16-bit, Cel (storybook illustrations) and Icon (a pixel avatar in any size from 16×16 up to 1024×1024).
Why is 8-bit's Handheld mode so low-res?
On purpose. It shoots at 128×112, the resolution of a 1998 handheld camera. Use Modern sharing for a crisp, scaled-up copy in feeds.
Can I use photos I already took?
Yes. Import a photo, crop it, and it becomes editable pixel art.
Can I put one photo inside another?
Yes. Remix your photos: paste pixel art into any shot. In the pixel editor, drop a pixel-art photo into another picture, place it, then touch it up pixel by pixel.
What can the pixel editor do?
Zoom in, pick a color, and tap pixels. The editor includes a palette, fill, select, and text, so you can clean up, recolor, or add your own details before you share.
Export formats
Two share modes. Pick Modern for feeds and Native for exact pixels.
Export formats by share mode and lens
Mode
Lens
Format
Modern
All lenses
Hi-res image (PNG or JPEG)
Native
8-bit, 16-bit, Icon
PNG at native pixel size
Native
ASCII
Plain text (UTF-8)
Icon
Icon
Square PNG, 16×16 up to 1024×1024
Why does my Native image look blurry in a feed?
Native exports are true-to-pixel, so some apps scale them up with smoothing. Use Modern for social feeds.
Sharing
Where can I share?
Send to Messages, save to Photos or Files, or hand off to any app in the iOS share sheet. ByteBox Camera hands the picture to the app you choose; Void Research doesn't keep a copy.
Why do I see recent people when I send?
When you pick someone from Contacts, the app keeps a short list on your phone (name, phone number, and contact photo) so you can send to them again. It never leaves your phone. Deleting the app removes it.
Can I edit the ASCII text?
Yes. Share ASCII as real text and edit it in any app that accepts text.
Sharing to another app opens it but nothing appears.
Update that app, make sure you're signed in, and allow ByteBox Camera access to Photos if asked.
Privacy + permissions
Do I need an account?
No. There is no account, no ads and no tracking. Your pictures, projects and contacts list stay on your phone, and Void Research doesn't sell data.
What does each permission do?
Camera: shows the live viewfinder for each lens.
Photos: imports pictures you choose and saves your exports. The app doesn't read photo location data.
Contacts: only when you pick someone to send to.
The app doesn't use the microphone.
You can turn any of these off in iOS Settings › ByteBox Camera.
How do I delete my data?
Delete the app. Everything it stored on your phone goes with it: pictures, the saved recent-recipient list, and settings. Your purchase stays with your Apple ID. Open Settings in the camera and tap Restore Purchases at the top.
Is it for kids?
It's made for a general audience and isn't directed to children under 13.
Device support
Which devices are supported?
iPhone, also runs on iPad, iOS 16.4 or later. There isn't an Android version right now.
Still stuck?
Talk to a human.
Include your iPhone model, iOS version and app version. We usually reply within 2 business days.
Tell us what happened and which iPhone you’re using.
