Does grayscale reduce screen time? What the studies show

Does grayscale reduce screen time?

Grayscale is a display setting that removes colour from your whole screen, so everything shows in shades of grey. The idea is simple: bright red badges and colourful feeds may be less tempting in black and white.

Research so far suggests grayscale does reduce screen time. The effect is real but modest, and it does not seem to stop you picking up your phone.

What did the grayscale studies find?

Holte and Ferraro: undergraduate students

Researchers at the University of North Dakota followed the smartphone use of 161 undergraduate students, in a study published in The Social Science Journal. Of those, 73 had their phones switched to grayscale for 8 to 10 days.¹

Screen time was measured objectively at two lab visits. The grayscale group's total screen time fell by an average of 37.90 minutes a day, according to the abstract. The paper's highlights give a figure of 39.70 minutes.¹

The grayscale group spent less time on social media and internet browsing, but grayscale did not appear to change video screen time. Grayscale also did not explain improvements in anxiety or depression symptoms, because both groups improved.¹

Dekker and Baumgartner: one week in grayscale

A study in Mobile Media and Communication tracked the phones of 84 Android users for two weeks. The first week was normal, and the second was in grayscale. Participants had an average age of about 22, and 85% said they intended to reduce their smartphone use.²

Daily screen time dropped by about 20 minutes. The daily number of unlocks did not change.²

People also reported more control over their phone use, less sense of overuse, less stress and lower online vigilance. There was no change in how productive they felt or in their sleep quality.²

The authors add a reality check. They note that a 20 minute reduction may not be considered substantial when average daily screen time is still over 4 hours.² They also summarise earlier studies that found reductions ranging from 22 to 50 minutes a day.²

Why might grayscale work?

Holte and Ferraro concluded that changing to grayscale appears to make smartphones less gratifying.¹ In other words, the colour itself is part of the reward.

Dekker and Baumgartner found that image based apps dropped more than text or audio apps, although that difference was not statistically significant.²

Because unlocks stayed the same, people checked their phones as often but used them for a shorter time once unlocked. The authors suggest this reflects how deep rooted checking habits are.² If you want to understand that pull, read our guide on why apps are addictive.

The downsides of a greyscale phone

• It can be annoying. In the Dekker and Baumgartner study, participants did not rate grayscale as especially helpful, but rather as annoying. About half said they would never or rarely use it again.²
• Photos and videos look different. Apple notes that colour filters can change the look of images and videos.³
• It does not change checking. Unlocks did not fall during the one week study.²
• You may not notice it working. Participants did not seem aware that grayscale had reduced their screen time.²
• It is easy to undo. The shortcut that turns it on also turns it off in a second.

How to turn on grayscale mode on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size.
3. Tap Color Filters, then turn on Color Filters.
4. Tap Grayscale to apply it.

These steps are from Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27.³ Apple uses the US spelling, so look for Color Filters and Grayscale in Settings.

Tip: add grayscale to the Accessibility Shortcut

Apple confirms that Color Filters can be turned on or off with the Accessibility Shortcut.⁴ To set it up, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Accessibility Shortcut, and select Color Filters.⁵

Then triple click the side button on an iPhone with Face ID, or the Home button on other models. If Color Filters is the only feature you select, it turns on or off straight away.⁵

This makes it easy to leave grayscale on most of the time and bring colour back briefly for photos or maps. Dekker and Baumgartner also note that iPhone users can use Shortcuts to turn on grayscale automatically at certain times or for certain apps.²

Grayscale or an app blocker: what should you use to reduce screen time?

They do different jobs, and no study we found has compared them head to head.

• Grayscale makes every app a little duller, all day. You can still open anything.
• An app blocker stops chosen apps opening at set times. It removes the option instead of making it less appealing.

Firm limits have their own evidence. In a separate US experiment with about 2,000 adults, screen time limits that in most cases could not be immediately overridden cut use of six tempting apps by 22 minutes a day over 12 weeks.⁶ Different study designs mean you cannot compare that number directly with the grayscale results.

Many people combine the two. For more ideas, see our guides on how to reduce screen time on iPhone and how to stop doomscrolling.

Where SETL fits

Grayscale makes your phone duller. SETL takes chosen apps away at the times you pick: automatically at bedtime every night, and in daytime focus sessions. You can use both together, and our screen time blocker page explains how SETL works.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor about ongoing sleep, attention or mental health concerns.