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Is there a way to force all of Android to display in monochrome(also known as grayscale)?

I'm working with a someone who has ADHD (and I am mildly ADHD myself). The colors are too much for him/her to handle.

EDIT: Ideally I'm looking to create an easy way to toggle such a setting.

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  • Do you have any support material / resources that describe the size (audience) for this 'feature'' requirement? This could be raised to Google/Android or Samsung (etc.)
    – david6
    Jul 5, 2014 at 1:03
  • That link is broken ..
    – david6
    Jul 5, 2014 at 12:57

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
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Android 5.0 Lollipop provides this feature by default:

  1. Enable Developer mode (by tapping build number within Settings > About phone multiple times)

  2. Go to Developer Options and turn it on.

  3. Under Hardware accelerated rendering you will see option called Simulate color space, click it and set it to Monochromacy.

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    Does this have any effect on the battery life?
    – Olayinka
    Dec 24, 2015 at 17:48
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    Yes, there will be an effect on battery life, as it will have more CPU usage. However screen type (LCD vs AMOLED etc.) may also play a role here.
    – irscomp
    Dec 28, 2015 at 8:30
  • On a rooted phone, is it possible to make a shortcut for Monochromacy toggle, or a terminal command?
    – lordparthurnaax
    Jan 11, 2019 at 11:43
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A launcher will not put the whole system in grayscale, only your home screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a true grayscale function you can enable system wide.

If you don't want to buy a Samsung Galaxy S5 then try CF.Lumen https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.lumen

It can color the screen to a specific tint. As a side effect the battery life will increase a lot.

If you have a Samsung phone, but not necessarily the S5 then you can use this root app to put everything into true monochrome (grayscale):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.pruss.GalacticNight

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I think you need this Root your phone and install the following app from play store by Famous Developer Chainfire

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.cf3d

then change the setting to grayscale

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    You should also note that the app supports only Froyo and Gingerbread, not any newer versions.
    – onik
    Jul 3, 2014 at 7:46
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I think Lunar Eclipse Lite is also a good choice for you. it works well on my phone.

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Click image(s) for larger version

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  • Does it support pure monochrome/grayscale? Note that there are many screen filter apps such as this, but the questions asks for grayscale specifically.
    – Andrew T. ♦
    Mar 26, 2015 at 10:32
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There's no built-in function that does this on an android phone. The bast way to achieve this is to install a custom launcher. Check on the Play Store, there are a bunch of them.

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    Please add additional information. Maybe link to at least one example. The way your question is isn't clear. I'm not looking to just change the home screen icons, but the entire android device to grayscale.
    – William
    Jul 2, 2014 at 0:53
  • I'm pretty sure you can't change the Setting color scheme, but you can change all the other things. In the play store just search for "launcher" and choose the one you prefer, at that point you should look for the available themes for the launcher you've chosen and install it.
    – Matt
    Jul 2, 2014 at 0:59
  • Thank for the response, but I do believe it is clear in the question that I am looking to change the entire operating system. All APPS will likely stay in color unless I am misunderstanding you.
    – William
    Jul 2, 2014 at 1:04
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    That's correct, I find it hard to change the entire system color scheme, consider it pretty much impossible. I'm a ROM developer and I can't figure out how this could be achieved. Maybe by editing some driver files or the kernel itself. That's tough, one thing is certain, you must have a rooted device, that's the first thing you should know.
    – Matt
    Jul 2, 2014 at 1:08
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    It could be done in a custom ROM by changing the compositor (SurfaceFlinger) to render everything as grayscale regardless of the colors drawn by apps.
    – Wyzard
    Jul 2, 2014 at 4:06

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