The fastest way to switch your iPhone to grayscale

You can turn your iPhone screen to grayscale through Settings in about one minute. Open Settings, go to Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, and toggle on Grayscale. Your entire screen will shift from color to black, white, and gray tones when ready.

This setting works on all iPhone models running iOS 13 or later. The change applies to everything on your phone — apps, photos, text, and the home screen — and you can switch back to color just as quickly by toggling it off.

Key Takeaways

  • Grayscale is found in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, and the toggle turns on when ready with no restart needed.
  • The setting removes all color from your screen, which can reduce eye strain and battery drain on some iPhone models.
  • You can create a shortcut to turn grayscale on and off from Control Center instead of opening Settings each time.
  • Grayscale affects your entire phone, including photos, apps, and notifications — there is no way to explore it to only one app.

Step-by-step: Turning on grayscale through Settings

Start by opening the Settings app on your home screen. Tap Accessibility, which is usually in the middle of the list and has a white circle with a person inside it.

Once in Accessibility, scroll down and tap Display & Text Size. You will see several options for how your screen looks. At the bottom of this menu, you will find the toggle for Grayscale. Tap it once to turn it on. Your screen will when ready shift to grayscale — no confirmation message appears, and you do not need to restart your phone.

To turn grayscale back off, follow the same path: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, then toggle Grayscale off. The color returns when ready.

Using Control Center to toggle grayscale faster

If you plan to switch grayscale on and off regularly, adding it to Control Center saves time. Open Settings, go to Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, and scroll to the bottom. Tap the plus button next to Grayscale to add it to your Control Center.

Once added, you can swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (or up from the bottom on older iPhones) to open Control Center. The Grayscale button will appear there, and tapping it toggles the setting on or off without opening Settings. This is the fastest method if you switch between color and grayscale multiple times a day.

Why people use grayscale and what it changes

Grayscale removes color distraction, which some people find reduces eye strain during long phone use. It also lowers the visual appeal of social media and games, which can help if you are trying to spend less time on your phone. Some users report slightly longer battery life when grayscale is on, though the difference is usually small.

The setting affects everything on your phone equally. Photos appear in black and white, app icons lose their color, text stays the same, and notifications look the same except without color. There is no way to explore grayscale to only certain apps or to exclude photos from the effect.

Grayscale versus other display settings

Grayscale is different from other accessibility features that change how your screen looks. Reduce White Point dims bright whites without removing color. Smart Invert flips colors to create a dark mode effect. Color Filters let you adjust specific colors if you have color blindness. Grayscale is the only setting that removes all color at once.

You can use grayscale alongside these other settings if you want. For example, you could turn on both Grayscale and Reduce White Point to dim your screen further. Test different combinations to find what works best for your eyes and your phone habits.

Troubleshooting: Grayscale is not turning on

If the Grayscale toggle does not respond, restart your iPhone. Hold the power button until the power-off slider appears, slide to power off, wait a few seconds, then hold the power button again until the Apple logo shows. Once your phone restarts, try toggling Grayscale on again.

If you cannot find Grayscale in Display & Text Size, make sure you are running iOS 13 or later. Older iOS versions do not have this setting. To check your iOS version, go to Settings > General > About and look at the number next to Software Version. If you are on an older version, you can update through Settings > General > Software Update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does grayscale save battery on iPhone?

Grayscale may save a small amount of battery on some iPhones, but the effect is usually minimal. OLED screens (iPhone 12 and newer) use less power when displaying black, so grayscale could help slightly. LCD screens (older models) see almost no battery difference. The impact depends on what you normally display and how bright your screen is set.

Can I set grayscale to turn on at a specific time?

No, grayscale does not have a built-in schedule. You can only turn it on and off manually through Settings or Control Center. If you want grayscale to set up at certain times, you can create an automation using the Shortcuts app, but this requires setting up a custom shortcut and is more complex than the standard toggle.

Will grayscale affect my photos or videos?

Grayscale changes how your photos and videos appear on your screen, but it does not change the files themselves. When you take a photo or record a video while grayscale is on, the file is still stored in color. Once you turn grayscale off, your photos and videos display in color again.

Can I use grayscale on just one app?

No. Grayscale is a system-wide setting that affects your entire screen at once. There is no way to explore it to only one app or to exclude certain apps from the effect. If you turn grayscale on, everything on your phone appears in black and white until you turn it off.