guides
How to turn your Android phone grayscale (every phone)
the short version
- Stock Android: Settings, Accessibility, Color and motion, Color correction, turn on, choose Grayscale.
- Samsung: Settings, Accessibility, Visibility enhancements, Color correction, turn on, choose Grayscale.
- Turn on the shortcut so you can toggle it from a quick-settings tile in one tap.
- To schedule it (for example after 9pm), use Bedtime mode in Digital Wellbeing or a Samsung Routine.
To turn your Android phone grayscale, open Settings, go to Accessibility, open Color correction, turn it on, and choose Grayscale. The whole thing takes about 30 seconds.
Grayscale makes your phone black-and-white, which removes the color that makes apps feel rewarding. It is the cheapest way to use your phone less, and it is backed by real research. Here is how to switch it on for each type of phone.
Stock Android (Pixel and most others)
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Color and motion (older versions: Text and display).
- Tap Color correction.
- Turn it on and choose Grayscale.
Turn on Color correction shortcut on the same screen. That adds a floating accessibility button (or a two-button gesture) so you can flip grayscale on and off without digging through Settings.
Samsung (One UI)
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Visibility enhancements.
- Tap Color correction.
- Turn it on and choose Grayscale.
Turn on the Color correction shortcut here too, which lets you add it to your quick-settings panel.
Add a one-tap toggle
Digging into Accessibility every time kills the habit. Add a quick-settings tile instead.
- Swipe down twice from the top to open quick settings.
- Tap the pencil or the three-dot menu to edit the tiles.
- Find Color correction (or Grayscale on some phones) and drag it into your active tiles.
Now grayscale is one tap away whenever you want the phone to go quiet.
Schedule it automatically
If you only want grayscale in the evening or overnight:
- Stock Android: Settings, Digital Wellbeing & parental controls, Bedtime mode. Turn on the option to make the screen grayscale during your bedtime schedule.
- Samsung: use a Routine (Settings, Modes and Routines) that turns Color correction on at a set time, or the grayscale option inside a Sleep mode.
How to turn grayscale off
Tap the same quick-settings tile again, use the accessibility shortcut, or go back to Color correction and switch it off. Colors return instantly, and nothing about your photos or files is changed. Grayscale only affects how the screen displays; the color data is untouched.
Drain the color for good
Caligo keeps the whole phone quiet by default: no icons, no color, one-tap grayscale, and a breath before the apps that eat your evening. Free.
Get Caligo on Google PlayFrequently asked questions
Does grayscale change my photos?
No. Grayscale is a display filter. Your photos, screenshots, and files keep their color; only the screen shows them in black-and-white while it is on.
Why can't I find Color correction on my phone?
The wording varies by brand. Try searching "grayscale" or "color correction" in the Settings search bar. On some phones it lives under Text and display, Vision, or Visibility enhancements.
Does grayscale actually help?
Yes. Studies have found it cuts screen time by roughly 20 to 40 minutes a day, mostly on social media and browsing. See what the research says.