TechTipADay

Can't stop scrolling? Turn your iPhone black and white

How to turn on grayscale on iPhone

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters, turn Color Filters on and pick Grayscale. To flip it on and off quickly, set Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut to Color Filters, then triple-click the side button.

How to do it

  1. Open Settings > Accessibility.

  2. Tap Display & Text Size, then Color Filters.

  3. Turn on Color Filters and pick Grayscale.

  4. Optional: go back to Accessibility, tap Accessibility Shortcut at the bottom and tick Color Filters. Now a triple-click on the side button switches grayscale on and off.

I tried this because I kept finding myself on Instagram without remembering opening it. In gray the red badges stop shouting and the feed looks like an old newspaper. I still use the phone, I just put it down sooner.

The triple-click is the part that makes it stick. When I need colour for a photo or a map, three clicks and it's back, three more and it's gray again.

If someone hands you their phone and asks why it's suddenly black and white, this is almost always the reason: a pocket triple-click turned Color Filters on.

Other ways to do it

  • Screen Time app limits Built in

    Pick it if you know exactly which two or three apps eat your evening. Settings > Screen Time > App Limits puts a daily cap on just those.

    Stick with this tip if it's not one app, it's the whole phone, and you'd rather it just felt less shiny.

  • Downtime Built in

    Pick it if you want most apps blocked at set hours, not just made gray. Downtime in Screen Time does that on a schedule.

    Stick with this tip if you still need the phone in the evening but want to pick it up less.

Questions people ask

My iPhone screen went black and white by itself. How do I fix it?

Color Filters got switched on, usually by a triple-click on the side button. Triple-click again, or go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters and turn it off.

Do my photos come out black and white?

No. Grayscale only changes what the screen shows. Photos and videos you take are saved in full colour, and they look normal on any other device.

Can it switch on by itself in the evening?

Yes. In the Shortcuts app, go to Automation, make a Time of Day automation, add the Set Color Filters action set to On and choose Run Immediately. Make a second one in the morning that turns it off.

Does grayscale save battery?

Not really. The screen still lights the same pixels, just without colour. Lower brightness or Low Power Mode does far more.

Is there the same thing on Android?

Yes. On a Pixel it's Bedtime mode's Grayscale option in Digital Wellbeing, or Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion > Color correction. Samsung has it under Settings > Accessibility > Visibility enhancements > Color adjustment.

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