4 Ways to Turn on Grayscale on iPhone and iPad

Quick Tips

• Open Settings and tap on Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters > turn the toggle on and select Grayscale.
• Go to Control Center settings and tap on the + icon in front of Accessibility Shortcuts. Now, use Control Center to enable Grayscale.
• Use the Shortcuts app and create an automation to automatically turn on Grayscale at a set time.

Basic Ways:

• Use Siri: If your device has Siri enabled, you can also use the ‘Hey Siri’ command to wake up Siri and turn on the Black and White mode on your iPhone or iPad through voice command. 
• Creating a custom shortcut: You can use the Shortcuts app to create a shortcut that instantly turns your iPhone or iPad’s screen black and white without using the Settings menu or the Control Center.

Method 1: Use Settings to Disable Colors on iPhone

The Settings menu on your iOS or iPadOS device can be used to enable or disable most of the important functions and features. So, it is no surprise that you can use the Settings menu to make your iPhone or iPad’s screen black and white. Follow the below steps to do it.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Accessibility. Here, tap on Display & Text Size.

Step 2: Scroll down and select Color Filters. Turn on the toggle for Color Filters and ensure Grayscale is selected from the options.

Method 2: Using the Accessibility Shortcut

As the name suggests, Accessibility Shortcuts can help make your iOS or iPadOS device more accessible, all at the tap of a button. This can also work if you wish to enable certain color filters, like Grayscale, on your device. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open Settings → Accessibility. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility Shortcut.

Step 2: Here, tap on Color Filters.

Now, triple-press on the Side button or Home button of your iOS or iPadOS device to instantly enable or disable Grayscale Mode.

Also Read: How to invert screen or picture colors on iPhone

Method 3: Adding Shortcut to Control Center

Besides enabling the Accessibility Shortcut, you can also add it to your device’s Control Center. This way, you can instantly enable Grayscale using the Accessibility icon in the Control Center. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Control Center. Tap on the + icon in front of Accessibility Shortcuts.

Step 2: Now, pull down from the top-left corner of the screen to open the Control Center.

Step 3: Here, long-press on the Accessibility icon > tap on Color Filters. This will enable Grayscale.

Method 4: Setting up Automation

Setting up automation to turn on Grayscale will help you save the hassle of constantly turning on and off the Grayscale mode on your iPhone or iPad. You can also add specific triggers to ensure Grayscale turns on once all the set conditions are met. Follow the below steps to do it.

Step 1: Open the Shortcuts app and tap on Automation. Here, tap on Create Personal Automation.

Step 2: Select the trigger for the automation. For demonstration, we will use the Time of Day option.

Step 3: Here, select the relevant options regarding when you want the automation to be enabled and tap on Next.

Step 4: Now, tap on Add Action. In the search bar, type Color Filters and tap on Set Color Filters.

Step 5: Tap on Done. Set exceptions, if applicable, and tap on Next.

Now, wait for the automation to turn on Black and White mode at the set time and days automatically. You can also check our guide if the Shortcut app automations are not working on your iPhone.

FAQs