Life Hack: This Is Why You Should Turn Your iPhone in Greyscale Mode
Try Black & white mode; it will change your life.
You pick up your phone to send a message to a friend. The three red dots in the right top corner of the Instagram application catch your attention. You open the Instagram app, and before you know it, half an hour has passed. And of course, you forgot to send the message to your friend.
Sounds familiar?
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s very human. This is precisely what smartphones are designed for. They are designed to soak as much attention from you as possible. They are designed to make you addicted.
The brightest developers and psychologists use all their knowledge and tricks to make you look as long as possible to that screen, to make you scroll as much as possible through that social media app.
Why? Because it brings them money via advertising and collecting your data. A lot of money.
But what if I told you that you could avoid the urge to check every notification immediately? What if I told you that you could even prevent the urge to pick up your iPhone constantly?
What if you don’t get distracted that much anymore?
It is possible. And it’s even not that hard. The solution? Simply put your iPhone in greyscale mode.
How do you put your iPhone into greyscale mode (black & white mode)?
- Go to the Settings app.
- Scroll to Accessibility.
- Select Display & Text Size.
- Scroll to Color Filters.
- Switch on Color Filters.
- Tap on Greyscale.
Et voilà: not hard at all, but it’s quite hidden in the settings, so you have to know it.
Why would you use iPhone Black & White mode?
You are addicted to your iPhone because of the dopamine shot you get when you pick it up. That same shot of dopamine you get when you see all the bright colors of the different notifications, and when you scroll through the colorful apps.
That dopamine shot is addictive.
With turning of the colors, you don’t get that strong of a dopamine shot, and therefore you are not that excited anymore to pick up your iPhone.
At first, you will miss that dopamine shot you get from your iPhone. It’s an easy win, right? A little bit of scrolling to make you feel excited. It’s hard to replace that excitement with other ways to boost your dopamine.
But step by step, you will get used to it.
From a personal experience, after only two days, I wanted to switch back to normal color mode. But I persisted, and I slowly started to get used to it. I picked up my phone less and less. When I used it, I used it more productively.
My phone got less attractive, which turned me more productive. It gave me more time to enjoy other things in life. I had a longer concentration span and got my dopamine from physical activity and social interactions.
It takes time to get used to it, but the results are there. After a month in black & white mode, my screen time dropped by a whopping 67%.
Nice bonus: with greyscale mode, you can extend your battery life. And no, that’s not only because you use your phone less, but also because the bright colors are consuming more battery.
Why did Apple even add the greyscale mode?
If the colors play a significant role in getting you addicted to your iPhone, why did Apple even add the option to put your iPhone in greyscale mode? Good question — it’s not good for their business, right?
Greyscale mode is designed to make it easier for people who are color blind. But I think they don’t want the general public to know about this option. That’s also why you won’t find many articles about this life hack.
What are the downsides of greyscale mode?
Since certain apps rely on color recognition to make you find things easier, it can take a little longer to navigate through them. However, the few seconds you lose are easily won by the time you win with scrolling less through Instagram or Twitter.
Videos and pictures are less exciting and beautiful. If a friend sends a colorful image from his vacation in Thailand, you won’t get the whole experience. But on the flip side, it will make you scroll less through pictures and videos on Instagram, so this is actually the entire purpose of this choice.
Another possible downside is that you don’t see the blue checks confirming someone read your message on WhatsApp. But hey, on the flip side, you won’t be overthinking why people keep ignoring you.
It can also be quite a surprise if you enter your Airbnb with bright green furniture because you didn’t see it in the pictures. And you may accidentally buy a bright pink shirt on Zalando. But for all of this, there is a simple solution: use your desktop or laptop. Because it’s a bigger step to use your computer, it will force you to make more thoughtful decisions and simply buy less.
Conclusion: use your phone as a tool, not as a time absorber
Greyscale is a lifesaver for me. I’m way less addicted to my phone, manage to significantly reduce my screen time, and use my phone for productive things. To me, it’s pretty crazy that something that small and (for the general public) unknown thing can have such a significant positive impact on your daily life.
Yes, there are some downsides, especially if you want to make the most out of your expensive iPhone. But do you want to lose hours and hours of your limited time scrolling through your device? Or do you want to use it productively to have time for the things that really matter in life — being outside, working on yourself, and developing meaningful relationships?
Your phone should be a tool to make your life more practical, not an addictive distraction that consumes all your precious time.
