Google Nexus 6P release date news 2016: Google is looking for ultimate hacker to hack into device; $200,000 at stake

Google is challenging fans to hack its Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X from last year. The person who could do so will get to take home $200,000.

The software giant has launched the Project Zero Security Contest, which challenges users to hack into the last year's iterations of Google's flagships by giving them only the phone number and email address of the handsets.

In announcing the Project Zero Security Contest for the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X, Google said: "Despite the existence of vulnerability rewards programs at Google and other companies, many unique, high-quality security bugs have been discovered as a result of hacking contests. Hoping to continue the stream of great bugs, we've decided to start our own contest: The Project Zero Prize."

They continued, "The goal of this contest is to find a vulnerability or bug chain that achieves remote code execution on multiple Android devices knowing only the devices' phone number and email address."

Google will award three users who rise above the challenge. The person who submits the first winning entry gets $200,000 USD while the second-placer will score $100,000 USD.

The third winning entry will nab the user $50,000 USD awarded by Android Security Rewards, awarded to additional winning entries.

The contest is announced just days before Google's next batch of flagships – the Google Pixel and Pixel XL—are set to see the light of day. The devices are expected to be revealed any time now.

It is believed that the flagships will end the Nexus era, making the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X the final smartphones by Google under the brand.

The Nexus 6P, on the other hand, also got an upgrade in the form of Google's Project Fi data-saving feature, which helps users locate a Wi-Fi hotspot automatically and connect to the best one available.

The feature is launched not only to the Nexus 6P but also to the most recent Nexus devices released by Google.