If you check your phone every five minutes without thinking, the problem might be the colors. Colorful icons and red notification badges are designed to catch your eye. Making your iPhone black and white neutralizes these triggers.
The native way: Using iOS Color Filters
Apple includes a grayscale mode hidden in the Accessibility settings. To turn it on, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters. Toggle it on and select 'Grayscale'.
You can also set up an Accessibility Shortcut to toggle it on and off by triple-clicking the side button. However, remembering to turn it back on after you need color (like for taking a photo) requires constant willpower.
Why black and white works
The human brain is wired to pay attention to bright, contrasting colors. Tech companies use this to build habit loops. A red badge signals urgency; a colorful feed signals entertainment.
When you remove the color, you remove the visual reward. Your phone becomes a tool rather than a toy. You will likely find yourself putting the phone down faster simply because scrolling is no longer visually stimulating.
The problem with manual toggles
The main reason people quit the grayscale hack is friction. Sometimes you need color—like when using Google Maps, reviewing photos, or scanning a QR code. Constantly triple-clicking to switch modes gets annoying fast.
A better way: Automating grayscale
Instead of relying on willpower, you can automate when your phone is black and white. While you can build complex routines in the Apple Shortcuts app, it is often buggy and hard to manage exceptions.
This is where StayGray helps. It keeps your phone in black and white by default, but allows you to whitelist specific apps (like Maps or Camera) so they automatically open in color. When you close the app, your phone goes back to gray.
Getting started today
Try using your phone in black and white for just 24 hours. You will likely notice a significant drop in your urge to mindlessly scroll. If you want to make the habit stick without the annoyance, use automation to do the heavy lifting for you.