Your phone most likely lost its color because a software setting switched the display to grayscale. This is almost always a settings issue, not a hardware problem, and it takes about 30 seconds to fix once you know where to look. Several features across both iPhone and Android can strip color from your screen, sometimes without you realizing you turned them on.
Bedtime Mode Is the Most Common Cause
If your phone went black and white at night or early in the morning, Bedtime Mode (sometimes called Wind Down or Sleep Mode) is almost certainly responsible. This feature automatically turns your screen to grayscale on a schedule to help you wind down before sleep. It also mutes calls and notifications. Because it runs on a timer, it can kick in while you’re still using your phone, making it seem like something broke.
On Samsung devices, go to Settings, then Digital Wellbeing and parental controls, then scroll down to Bedtime mode. Look for the toggle next to “Turn on as scheduled” and switch it off. The feature will also deactivate on its own after its scheduled window ends, so if your phone regains color every morning, this is your culprit. On Google Pixel phones, the same feature lives under Digital Wellbeing in Settings.
Color Filters in Accessibility Settings
Both iPhone and Android have accessibility options that replace your full-color display with grayscale. These are designed for users with color vision differences, but they’re easy to toggle on by accident.
On iPhone, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then Color Filters. If Color Filters is toggled on and set to Grayscale, that’s your problem. Switch the toggle off and your colors will return immediately.
On a Google Pixel, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Color and motion. Select Color correction and check whether Grayscale is selected. If it is, toggle off “Use color correction” at the top of that screen. On Samsung Galaxy phones, you can also check the Quick Settings menu: swipe down from the top of your display twice and look for a Color correction tile. If it’s active, tap it to turn it off.
The Triple-Click Shortcut on iPhone
iPhones have a feature called Accessibility Shortcut that lets you triple-click the side button to toggle specific settings on and off. If Color Filters was assigned to this shortcut, you could have activated grayscale without realizing it, maybe while adjusting your grip or pulling the phone out of a pocket. Triple-click the side button again. If your colors come back, that confirms what happened.
To prevent it from happening again, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then scroll all the way down to Accessibility Shortcut. You can either remove Color Filters from the shortcut list or disable the shortcut entirely.
Developer Options on Android
Android phones have a hidden Developer Options menu that includes a setting called “Simulate color space.” If this was turned on (sometimes by a curious friend, a child, or while following a tutorial), it can force your entire display into monochrome or shift colors to simulate different types of color blindness. The options include Monochromacy, which limits your screen to black, white, and gray.
To check, go to Settings, then System, then Developer options. Look for “Simulate color space” and make sure it’s set to Disabled. If you don’t see Developer options in your settings at all, this isn’t your issue, since the menu only appears after you manually enable it.
Samsung Modes and Routines
Samsung phones have a feature called Modes and Routines (previously Bixby Routines) that can automatically change display settings based on time of day, location, or activity. A Sleep mode routine, for instance, can switch your screen to grayscale at a set time each night. Long-press the Modes tile in your Quick Settings panel to see what routines are active. If a routine includes a grayscale display change, you can edit or delete that step without removing the entire routine.
Low Battery and Power Saving Apps
Some third-party apps and custom power-saving features automatically switch your display to black and white when your battery drops below a certain level, typically around 15%. The logic is that on certain screen types, displaying fewer colors uses slightly less power. When your battery charges back above roughly 30%, the color returns on its own. If your phone only loses color when the battery is low, check your installed apps for anything related to battery optimization or monochrome mode, and uninstall or disable it.
When It Might Be a Hardware Problem
If none of the software fixes above restore your color, the issue could be physical. Water damage is one possibility. iPhones have a small liquid contact indicator (a normally white or silver dot that turns red when exposed to water) inside the SIM tray or charging port area. If that indicator is red, moisture may have reached internal components.
Hardware-related color issues look different from software grayscale. Software grayscale produces a clean, uniform black-and-white image. Water damage or a failing display tends to show uneven discoloration, colored blotches, flickering, or lines running across the screen. A cracked or partially disconnected display cable can also cause color to drop out in patches rather than uniformly. If your screen looks patchy, distorted, or has visible lines, the display itself likely needs repair.