Have been in using greyscale on and off to reduce my screen time. Due the issues that the author reported I switched back and changed the icon colors to monocolor grey with black wallpaper to atleast keep the phone default UI color free.
The first behaviour it changed is making app logos of Instagram, YouTube, Reddit stand out. Some of these apps became a reflex click when I unlock my phone usually as a fidget. Greyscale takes away the lure of these app icons.
Love the shortcuts tip. Setting it up to see if I can sustain greyscale full time now.
Using my phone in grayscale convinced me of the power of shiny colours. It is shocking how boring my phone feels in grayscale.
This really does help break any feeling of attachment to the device and the solutions in this post really do make it more practical. It does kind of suck using the camera in grayscale.
No need to get specific. Look at any retail packaging. Look at any advertisement. Bright and shiny always gets the attention. You've never read anyone reply "ooh, grayscale". It's always "Ooooh, shiny"
I've bound toggling greyscale on/off to pressing the lock-button 3 times, makes it very easy to switch back/forth when you need it, but still be able to leave it greyscale most of the time.
I’ve been doing exactly this (with the shortcuts) for almost 3 years now. I don’t think it’s as powerful as I would like but it’s certainly helped. I do wish more apps worked in grayscale (calendar I’m looking at you) but that’s on my long list of grievances.
This is fantastic! I had greyscale on many years ago, but I had to turn turn colours back on for google maps... but this trick allows me to have my cake and eat it too!
Looking at the example images, I was actually shocked that the app was so low contrast in B&W to be unusable. At least apps from Apple/Google. I would have expected their usability teams to be all over it, while expecting smaller app devs to need a pass on this.
I don't know of any way to control the setting automatically (sometimes there are special-permission non-standard/undocumented intents for settings though), but as a maybe-close-enough you can turn on grayscale color correction (in accessibility -> color & motion, in my phone) and add a quick-settings tile to toggle it.
I'm on a Pixel 10 for these instructions, not sure if other manufacturers offer the same options.
Modes is an available option in the tile list. You can go to Modes, create a custom mode, and under display options you can set greyscale. You can also set modes to turn on automatically based on calendar events or a schedule. Notification tweaks are also available in the same area.
You can also use one of the accessibility shortcuts to trigger it quickly (both volume buttons held, triple tap, two fingers from bottom) if so configured
I want my phone to be greyscale (low-dopamine), but some apps need color. Here's my workaround that works for me (triple-pressing the side button didn't, I forget to turn greyscale back on.)
The first behaviour it changed is making app logos of Instagram, YouTube, Reddit stand out. Some of these apps became a reflex click when I unlock my phone usually as a fidget. Greyscale takes away the lure of these app icons.
Love the shortcuts tip. Setting it up to see if I can sustain greyscale full time now.
Not sure if it's the lack of color in general or because screens kind of turn into a black and white mush that's hard to navigate.
This really does help break any feeling of attachment to the device and the solutions in this post really do make it more practical. It does kind of suck using the camera in grayscale.
Grayscale was a functional problem because some pics communicate with color (like colored maps) so it nudged me away
Removes a lot of purposefully rewarding/manipulating haptics. Makes a phone feel "quiet" and easier to put down.
Makes taking and looking at photos nice.
I'm still looking for a way to preserve the low-color feel for my macbooks and mac desktops. Also I love the idea of low-dopamine UIs in principle.
For same reasons as the original author, I find myself to abandon the B&W mode and then do not turn it back on later.
I'd envision OS layer that handles the desktop, finder and apps, and an API that apps like browsers can use, e.g. in chrome extensions.
Anyone here aware of work in that area?
Little plug since we’re in the topic of dumb phones etc, I have a completely free and non-creepy iPhone app launcher for folks who are into that:
- https://sxp.studio/apps/applist
(The app catalog is also open source)
Modes is an available option in the tile list. You can go to Modes, create a custom mode, and under display options you can set greyscale. You can also set modes to turn on automatically based on calendar events or a schedule. Notification tweaks are also available in the same area.