A grayscale wallpaper and see-through app icons can make a phone look black and white while apps stay in full color, which may help you scroll less.
A CNET writer found a free way to make an iPhone look black and white when picked up, while apps still show full color once opened. The trick pairs a grayscale wallpaper with a see-through icon style. The goal is a phone that is less tempting to check out of habit. A similar setup works on newer Android phones.
The writer first switched an iPhone 17 to its grayscale color filter to break a doomscrolling habit, meaning endless scrolling through feeds. It did make the phone less distracting. It also got frustrating. The writer kept flipping back to color to watch YouTube videos or edit photos before posting. After a few days, the phone was back in full color.
Since iOS 26, iPhone users can give apps a Clear appearance. That makes app icons translucent, supposedly to show off a colorful wallpaper. If the wallpaper is a grayscale photo, the icons show no color at all. The writer used a photo of a solar eclipse seen from space by the Artemis II crew. The result looks black and white on pickup but shows full color inside apps.
Phones running Android 12 or newer can get the same look. The Material You customization options can make all apps the same color. Change the wallpaper to a grayscale image, then pick from the dynamic color options.
The writer says the phone feels less immediately distracting and gets used more on purpose. There is no urge to open Instagram the moment the screen unlocks. One flaw remains. When the phone is charging or in Low Power Mode, the battery icon shows up as a splash of color. The writer calls that annoying but not a dealbreaker.
This is one person's experience, and the article cites no research. It is also not a cure for every phone distraction. The writer estimates it has probably saved a few minutes of mindless scrolling each day.
If you pick up your phone too often, try a grayscale wallpaper with a see-through icon style, so only your apps show color.
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