Does Turning Your Smartphone to Black and White Make Social Media Boring? The Power of "Removing Color" Digital Detox

I was just checking notifications. I only intended to spend a few minutes while waiting for the train. However, as I kept watching videos one after another, more time had passed than I expected.

For those who have had such experiences, managing the distance with their smartphone is a common concern. Even if you set a limit on usage time, you end up extending it. Even if you delete apps, you reinstall them a few days later. Some might feel it's because of their weak willpower.

In such cases, there's room to try a small change: removing color from the screen.

On October 19, 2026, the German news site "OP Online" introduced a method to turn smartphone displays into grayscale, as advised by the consumer organization Stiftung Warentest.

Grayscale is a feature that displays the screen in shades of white, black, and gray. It allows you to change the appearance of the screen without giving up communication tools or apps. However, it's necessary to consider the ease and effectiveness separately.

Instead of "making it unusable," weaken the allure of continuous viewing

Smartphone screens are filled with eye-catching elements: vibrant app icons, photos of food and travel destinations, and video thumbnails. There are moments when you forget what you intended to do and move on to different content.

Grayscale removes the colors from such information.

For example, food photos lose their vivid reds, yellows, and greens. Apps lined up on the home screen change in how much they stand out due to color. Even with the same content, the desire to keep watching may weaken.

On the other hand, even in black and white, new posts arrive, and videos can be played. Recommendations and endless feeds remain.

In other words, this is not a system that forcibly stops usage. It seems better to perceive it as a strategy to create an opportunity to close the screen when you thought, "I'll watch a little more."

Research shows a reduction of about 20 minutes per day, but the number of times checked did not change

There is research that has examined actual usage behavior regarding grayscale.

In a study by Cynthia A. Dekker and Susanne E. Baumgartner, the smartphone usage of 84 people was tracked for two weeks, comparing periods of normal display with periods using grayscale.

During the black-and-white display period, daily usage time decreased by about 20 minutes. However, there was no significant change in the number of times the phone was unlocked. While there were improvements in perceived stress, improvements in productivity or sleep quality were not confirmed.

From these results, it can be inferred that rather than eliminating the habit of opening the smartphone itself, it may shorten the usage after opening it.

However, the period of trying black-and-white display was one week. The effects of continuing for a long period or whether it is equally useful for everyone cannot be judged from these results alone. Saying "smartphone addiction will be cured by going black and white" would be an overstatement.

On social media, voices welcome it as "boring," while others say they "revert back"

The method of turning the screen black and white has been a topic of discussion in overseas online communities for some time.

Here, we introduce not the reactions to the original article, but public posts on Reddit by people who tried the same method. The content is summarized in Japanese.

In "r/nosurf," which discusses ways to manage internet usage, there are posts saying that making the screen grayscale made apps and the smartphone as a whole boring, helping to reduce usage. This is an example where the method of weakening the screen's allure connected with personal experience.

On the other hand, another post explains that it was not helpful because they reverted to color display midway and forgot to switch back to black and white.

There are also comments about starting to look at Reddit instead of Instagram or Facebook. Even if you move away from one service, if you spend time on another, the overall usage time may not decrease as desired.

These are personal experiences and not surveys indicating trends among all users. Nonetheless, practical challenges become apparent. In addition to whether black-and-white display suits you, it's important to check if you can continue it and if you're not shifting to another app.

On iPhone, you can change it from "Color Filters"

On iPhone, it can be set using the standard accessibility features.

1. Open "Settings."
2. Select "Accessibility."
3. Open "Display & Text Size."
4. Turn on "Color Filters."
5. Select "Grayscale."

If you only want to use it when necessary, select "Color Filters" in "Settings" → "Accessibility" → "Shortcut."

After setting, you can switch by quickly pressing the side button on models with Face ID or the home button on models with a home button three times. If multiple functions are registered in the shortcut, select from the displayed menu.

If you make it easy to return to color when needed, such as checking photos or shopping, it will be easier to avoid daily inconvenience.

Android varies by device. "Bedtime mode" is also an option

On Android, the name and location of settings vary depending on the manufacturer and OS version.

First, search for "Grayscale," "Color Correction," or "Black and White" in the settings app's search bar to find it easily. Depending on the device, you can select it from "Color Correction" within accessibility or visibility settings.

On compatible devices, you can also use black-and-white display with Digital Wellbeing's "Bedtime mode." According to Google's guide, set grayscale from the screen options in the customization of bedtime mode.

If it's inconvenient to have it black and white all day, consider using it only at night. However, check the settings and available features for each device.

In Japan, you don't have to reduce smartphone usage necessary for daily life

In Japan, smartphones are used not only for communication but also for transportation, payments, reservations, and work. Trying to reduce all "time spent looking at the smartphone" as a whole can easily lead to difficulties.

The time spent looking up a commuting route and the time spent endlessly watching videos without purpose, even if both are 10 minutes, have different meanings.

Therefore, before trying black-and-white display, decide on one "usage you want to change" to make it easier to review the results.

For example, if you find yourself watching SNS longer than planned before bed, target that time period. If you tend to open feeds during work breaks, try it only during work hours.

You don't need to endure until you need color. It's easier to make judgments if you switch back to color display for tasks like checking color-coded maps, selecting product colors, or reviewing photos and videos.

It's important not to make maintaining black-and-white the goal itself, but to see if the usage you wanted to reduce has changed.

Start with one week. Compare "how many minutes were reduced" and "what was inconvenient"

If you're going to try it, it's good to first check your recent usage with iPhone's Screen Time or Android's Digital Wellbeing.

Then, use black-and-white display for about a week within a reasonable range and reflect on the following points.

• Did the usage time of the app you wanted to reduce change?
• Were you able to close SNS sooner than before after opening it?
• Did the time spent looking at other apps increase?
• Was there any inconvenience in necessary operations like checking photos or maps?

This is not a strict experiment. Usage time can change due to work busyness or holiday plans. Still, it's easier to find a method that suits you than judging based on "I somehow felt it worked."

If you don't feel the effect, you can also consider other methods, such as organizing notifications or removing frequently viewed apps from the home screen. There's no need to associate the unsuitability of black-and-white display with weak willpower.

Reduce screen color and decide when to stop yourself

Smartphones are indispensable for both work and entertainment. There's no need to deny enjoying your favorite videos or interacting with friends.

What needs reconsideration is the usage that continues beyond the time you decided to enjoy, without realizing it.

Grayscale is a simple, reversible setting change to pause and think about that. While there are limits to the expected effects, it can be an easy entry point for those resistant to deleting apps.

When the screen becomes a little boring, can you close it thinking, "This is enough"? Let's start by confirming that small change.

Sources and Reference URLs

1. OP Online "Grau in Grau: Dieser Digital-Detox-Trick überrascht"
   Published on October 19, 2026. An article introducing digital detox through grayscale and its settings as advised by Stiftung Warentest.
   https://www.op-online.de/leben/digital/grau-in-grau-dieser-digital-detox-trick-ueberrascht-zr-94548012.html

2. Dekker/Baumgartner "Is life brighter when your phone is not?"
   A study involving 84 participants. Referenced points include a reduction of about 20 minutes in usage time, no significant improvement in unlock frequency, sleep quality, or productivity. journals.sagepub.com
   https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20501579231212062

3. Apple Support "Use Display & Text Size settings on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch"
   Confirmed the method for setting color filters and grayscale, and how the appearance of photos, etc., changes. Apple Support (Japan)
   https://support.apple.com/ja-jp/111773

4. Apple Support "About the Accessibility Shortcut for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch"
   Confirmed the method of switching by triple-clicking the side button or home button. Apple Support
   https://support.apple.com/en-us/111771

5. Google "Manage your Android device's screen time with Digital Wellbeing"
   Referenced checking usage time, bedtime mode, and grayscale settings. Android Help
   https://support.google.com/android/answer/9346420?hl=ja

6. Reddit "Grayscale change my life"
   A personal experience where apps became boring with black-and-white display, helping to reduce usage. Summarized the content of publicly available posts found through search. reddit.com
   https://www.reddit.com/r/nosurf/comments/olf317/

7. Reddit "A tip to use instagram and snapchat less that finally works for me"
   Introduced a personal post about the challenge of forgetting to switch back to black and white after reverting to color. reddit.com
   https://www.reddit.com/r/nosurf/comments/109zsxc/

8. Reddit "Gone Grayscale"
   Referenced comments about shifting usage from Instagram or Facebook to Reddit. These are personal experiences on social media and not representative surveys. reddit.com
   https://www.reddit.com/r/nosurf/comments/ccdgsn/