Ali Usman
Last updated: October 13, 2026
I'm Ali Usman, the founder and creator of Black Screen Online. I trained as a mechanical engineer, and I have worked as a freelance software developer since 2020. I build every tool on this site myself, write every guide, and check each fact in a guide against its original source.
Ali Usman at a glance
What I do on Black Screen Online
Black Screen Online is a free set of screen tools that work in your web browser, and I make all of it on my own. I design each tool's screen and buttons, write its code, test it, and write the guide that sits on its page. When something in a tool changes, I update its guide too.
The tools come in families. The black screen is the main tool, with black wallpapers, images, videos, backgrounds and a screensaver beside it. The color screens, led by the white screen, cover white, red, green, blue and more. Screen tests, clocks and timers are next. To read about the site itself, such as how the tools work and how the site is paid for, see About Black Screen Online.
My background: from mechanical engineering to software
Engineering
I studied mechanical engineering for four years and graduated with a grade average (CGPA) of 3.8 out of 4. Engineering teaches a careful way of working: you measure, you test a design in real conditions, and you check the result before you trust it. I bring that same habit to every tool and guide on this site.
Software
After my degree, I moved into software. I have worked as a freelance developer since 2020, building software for clients. Black Screen Online brings both sides together. The engineering side shapes how I test, and the developer side lets me build each tool from the first line of code to the last.
Research is the part of the work I care about most. Before I build a tool or write a guide, I read how the thing really works, from the people who make the screens, the phones and the web itself. Because I also wrote the code for every tool, I can explain exactly what each one does on your screen. I know how a browser shows one exact color and how a tool saves your settings in your own browser. I also know how your device builds an image or video download without uploading anything.
Where my knowledge stops
I am not a doctor, an eye specialist or a screen repair technician. Facts about sleep, eye strain or fixing a device come from published sources, such as Harvard Health, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung, and I link each one where I use it. My guides are general information, not medical advice, so for a health concern, please speak to a doctor. The disclaimer explains this in full. I would rather show you where a fact came from than sound more expert than I am.
How I research, test and write each guide
Every guide on Black Screen Online goes through the same four steps before it goes live:
- I check the source. I read each fact in its original source, such as a device maker's help page or a web standard. Web standards come from the W3C, the group that sets the rules for how the web works. Then I link the source right beside the fact. If a number is my own estimate, the guide says so.
- I test it myself. I try every tool and every setting I describe on a computer and an Android phone. For iPhone and iPad, I follow Apple's own guides, and the guide says so.
- I write for everyone. I rewrite each guide until it is clear for someone who is not technical. A technical word gets its plain meaning right beside it.
- I read it as you will. I read the finished page the way a visitor sees it, on a phone and on a computer.
I use AI tools to help with parts of the work, such as checking code, researching and drafting. AI never publishes anything on its own. I never invent users, reviews or experiences, and if I didn't do something, the site doesn't claim it.
Corrections and updates
Mistakes can happen, and I want to hear about them. Send me the page address and, if you have one, your source through the contact page. I will check it against the original source, then either fix the page or explain why it stays as it is. A fixed page shows a new "Last updated" date.
Contact me
Have a question about a guide, an idea for a new tool, or a mistake you have spotted? Use the contact page or email me at ali@blackscreenonline.com. I usually reply within 24 hours.