Why is my Android phone black and white?
Your phone is almost certainly fine. A black and white screen is usually a setting called grayscale. It is most often turned on by Bedtime mode (Sleep mode on Samsung) at night, or by Color correction in Accessibility. Turn grayscale off in either place and your colors come straight back.
Steps to check
Check whether Bedtime mode is on right now
Bedtime mode can switch the screen to black and white so it is less tempting late at night. If your screen went gray in the evening and came back in the morning, this is very likely the reason. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings and look for a Bedtime mode tile. If it is on, tap it to turn it off for now. Your colors should return right away.
- Samsung Samsung calls it Sleep mode. Swipe down with two fingers and look for a Sleep tile, or go to Settings → Modes and Routines → Sleep.
Stop Bedtime mode from turning the screen gray
If you like Bedtime mode but want to keep your colors, you can keep the mode and just switch off the grayscale part. On Pixel and Motorola phones, open Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls → Bedtime mode → Customize → Screen options at bedtime, and turn off Grayscale. Bedtime mode will still quiet your phone, but the screen stays in color.
- Samsung Settings → Modes and Routines → Sleep → Other actions. Remove the grayscale action, then tap Done.
- Pixel Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls → Bedtime mode → Customize → Screen options at bedtime → Grayscale (off).
- Motorola Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls → Bedtime mode → Customize → Screen options at bedtime → Grayscale (off).
Turn off Color correction
Color correction is an accessibility feature that helps people who find some colors hard to tell apart. One of its options is Grayscale, which removes all color. If your screen is black and white all day, not just at night, check here. Open Settings → Accessibility, find Color correction, and turn off Use color correction.
- Samsung Settings → Accessibility → Vision enhancements → Color correction, then turn it off. On some newer models it is called Color adjustment.
- Pixel Settings → Accessibility → Color and motion → Color correction → Use color correction (off).
- Motorola Settings → Accessibility → Color and motion (or Text and display) → Color correction → Use color correction (off).
Check for a shortcut that turns it on by accident
Color correction can have a shortcut, such as pressing and holding both volume buttons at once, or an accessibility button on screen. That makes it easy to turn on by mistake, for example while holding the phone in your hand or a case. In the Color correction screen, turn off the Color correction shortcut if you do not need it.
On Samsung, also check Power saving and color filters
Samsung lists a few more settings that can change how the screen looks. If the screen still looks gray, try turning off Power saving mode, then look under Settings → Accessibility → Vision enhancements and make sure Color inversion and Color filter are off as well.
- Samsung Power saving: swipe down and tap the Power saving tile to turn it off, or go to Settings → Battery. Then check Color inversion and Color filter under Vision enhancements.
Restart and update if nothing above helped
If every setting above is off and the screen is still black and white, restart the phone, then check for a system update. A screen that shows lines, flickers, or stays gray even in screenshots after all of this is worth taking to the phone maker or a repair shop.
Normal vs. not
Usually normal
The screen turns black and white at the same time each night and returns to color in the morning. That is Bedtime mode (Sleep mode on Samsung) doing what it was set to do.
Worth a closer look
Flickering, lines, or patches of color on a mostly gray screen, especially after a drop. That points to the screen itself rather than a setting.
What people are saying
I grabbed my phone today and was messing with it and of all of a sudden it went black and white.
Redditor u/Forest101 said on r/AndroidQuestions. Read the thread
Common questions
- Did I break my phone?
- Almost certainly not. A screen that is evenly black and white is a setting. Damage usually shows up as lines, spots, flicker, or dead areas instead.
- Why does it only happen at night?
- Bedtime mode (Sleep mode on Samsung) runs on a schedule or while charging at night. Turn off its grayscale option and the mode can stay on without changing your colors.
- Can I turn black and white back on later?
- Yes. Some people use grayscale on purpose to make the phone less distracting. Turn the same setting back on whenever you like.
Related questions
Sources we checked
- Change your screen color at night on a Pixel phone (Pixel Phone Help (Google))
- Manage how you spend time on your Android phone with Digital Wellbeing (Android Help (Google))
- Change text & display settings (Color correction) (Android Accessibility Help (Google))
- What to do when your Samsung Galaxy phone screen appears in grayscale or shows inverted colors (Samsung Support)
- Troubleshoot unusual screen colors on your Samsung Galaxy device (Samsung Support)
- Screen Black And White Only on Samsung Galaxy phone (Samsung Support)
- Display color changes to black and white (Motorola Support)
- Visual assistance (Color correction and shortcuts) (Motorola Support)
Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.