Black and white screen on Xiaomi when charging: how to return colors and why it happens

You plugged Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO into charging, and suddenly the screen turned black and white? This feature, which the manufacturer calls "Charging Grayscale Mode," is activated automatically on many of the brand's models, and it aims to reduce battery load and extend battery life, but not all users like to work with a monochrome display.

In this article, we will explore all possible ways to disable black and white mode, from standard MIUI settings to hidden developer settings, and find out why the function turns on itself and how to prevent it from being activated again. The instructions will be suitable for most devices based on MIUI 12-14, including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12/11, POCO F5/X5 and other models.

Why Xiaomi is going black and white when charging

The monochrome screen function during charging is part of the Battery Care technology that Xiaomi has implemented in MIUI since version 12.

• 🔋 Reducing battery temperature – color screen (especially with AMOLED-matrix) heats the battery more strongly, which accelerates its degradation.
• ⚡ Reduced power consumption – in black and white, pixels consume 10-15% less energy.
• 📉 Extending battery life – according to Xiaomi, the mode increases the number of charging cycles by 5-8%.

However, the function has a flip side: many users complain of discomfort when using (for example, it is impossible to distinguish colors in photos or games), as well as self-enable after MIUI updates.

• 🔌 When connected to a non-original charger (especially with power above 30W).
• 📱 After updating the firmware to MIUI 13/14, where the function has become more aggressive.
• 🔄 When activating the Ultra Battery Saver mode in the settings.
• 🛠️ If you have previously manually enabled Grayscale Mode through the developer settings.

Method 1: Disconnect via battery settings (standard method)

The easiest way to return colors is to deactivate the function in the battery menu, which works on most devices with MIUI 12-14.

1. Open the Settings. → Battery.
2. Scroll down and find the Battery Settings section (or Battery Care on newer versions).
3. Slip on the item "Charging Grayscale Mode".
4. Move the slider to the off position.

If there is no such item, check:

• 🔍 Perhaps the function is hidden under the name "Color scheme when charging" or "Monochrome mode".
• 📲 In some models (POCO F4, Redmi K50) Option moved to Settings → Display. → Color palette.

Put your phone on charge (mode can only be active when connected to RAM)

Make sure the battery is over 15% charged (some models lock the function when the charge is low)

Check if the "Do Not Disturb" or "Ultra-Energy Saving" mode is turned on

Restart the device if the changes do not apply-->

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi 12T Redmi Note 11 Pro+ After the function is disabled, you may need to reconnect the charger to make the changes take effect. If the screen remains black and white, restart the smartphone.

Method 2: Deactivation through Developer Parameters

If the standard method didn't work, the function could be activated through hidden settings to turn it off:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on the MIUI Version (you will be notified "You are a developer!").

Settings → Additional → For Developers

"Imitate the space of flowers"

Simulate color space

"Disconnected."

Monochromacy

Grayscale

Also check the following parameters:

• 🔧 "Disable the hardware overlays" (Disable) HW overlays - should be turned off.
• 🎨 "Force it. GPU-rendering” (Force) GPU rendering – if enabled, may affect color reproduction.

On the POCO F3 GT and Xiaomi 11T Pro, after changing the developer’s settings, you may need to turn off and re-enable charging to reset the display cache.

Method 3: Reset display settings (if modes conflict)

Sometimes black and white will get stuck due to conflict with other screen functions (e.g. Read or Dark Subject).

1. Go to Settings → Display.
2. Open "Additional Display Settings" (or "Color Scheme").
3. Click "Reset to factory" (or "Restore default settings").
4. Confirm the action and restart the device.

After the reset, check:

⚠️ Note: Redmi Note 10 Pro and POCO X3 Pro after resetting the display can reset color calibration. If you want accurate color reproduction (for example, for a photo), recalibrate the screen to Settings → Display. → Color profile.

Method 4: Bypass ADB (for power users)

If the software methods didn’t work, you can disable the feature via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires a PC connection and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on your computer.
2. Turn on the phone debugging over USB (Settings → For developers → debugging over USB).
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and type in the command line: adb shell settings put global charging_grayscale_enabled 0
4. Reset the device.

To return the standard settings, use the command:

adb shell settings delete global charging_grayscale_enabled

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data via Settings → Memory → Backup. In rare cases, changes through ADB can cause system applications to crash.

Method 5: Firmware rollback or MIUI update

On some devices, black and white charging appears after the MIUI update and is not disabled by standard methods.

• 🔄 Reverse to the previous firmware version (if the feature appeared after the update). MIUI Use Fastboot or Recovery for installation (instructions depend on the model).

Update to the latest version

MIUI 14

Before rolling back or updating, check:

• ⚠️ Compatibility of firmware with your model (for example, firmware for Xiaomi 12 is not suitable for 12 Pro).
• 🔒 Is the bootloader unlocked – some devices require unlocking to roll back.

💡

Firmware rollback is a last resort. Before the procedure, make sure that the problem is not solved programmatically (through ADB or resetting).

What to do if nothing helps

If neither method returned the colors, the problem may be related to:

• 🛠️ Hardware failure - malfunction of the display plume or screen controller (more often occurs after falls or moisture hits).
• 🦠 Virus or malware – some apps can block color reproduction.
• 🔧 Custom firmware – on informal builds (for example, LineageOS) the function may not work correctly.
• Scan your device for viruses using Malwarebytes or Dr.Web.
• Contact the service center if you suspect a hardware malfunction (especially if the screen flashes or artifacts appear).