The sudden change in color rendering of the display of a Xiaomi smartphone to shades of gray often takes users by surprise, especially in the evening. Instead of the usual bright colors, the interface becomes dull and monochrome, which can cause panic and thoughts of technical breakdown of the matrix. However, in most cases this is not a hardware failure, but an activated digital well-being function or a specific reading mode designed to reduce the load on the eyes.
MIUI and its modern HyperOS shell have a wide range of tools to manage screen time and vision health. Black and white is often automatically turned on on a schedule or when certain applications are reached, and understanding the causes of this problem is the first step to quickly returning the full color range of your device.
In this guide, we will take a detailed look at all possible scenarios for activating monochrome displays, where to look for hidden switches, how to set the correct filter schedule, and what to do if standard methods do not help restore the normal operation of the display.
The main reasons for the emergence of monochrome regime
Before you start troubleshooting, you need to identify the source of the problem. There are several system mechanisms that can force a Redmi or Poco screen to grayscale, most often with features aimed at combating digital addiction.
The first and most common reason is the Digital Well-Being mode, which allows users to set time limits for apps or turn on a “sleep mode” that visually makes a smartphone less attractive to use. Turning off chromaticity is one of the most effective ways to make the brain less interested in content at night.
The second option is Activated Reading Mode, or Paper Mode, which in some firmware versions not only adds a yellow filter, but also completely desaturates the image, mimicking an e-book, and the possibility of accidentally enabling special features for the visually impaired should be considered.
⚠️ Note: If the black and white image is accompanied by pixel distortion, ripples or artifacts, this may indicate physical damage to the display plume or the matrix itself after falling.
Third-party applications: battery-saving programs or third-party launchers may have their own color filtering settings that overlap Android system settings. Checking the list of recently installed utilities will help rule this out.
Disconnecting the Digital Well-Being Mode
The most likely culprit behind the nighttime color change is Google and Xiaomi’s built-in service called Digital Well-being, which hides a feature that schedules the screen to gray to signal rest times.
To check your settings, go to the main settings menu of your device, and find a section that could be called Digital Well-Being and Parental Control or Screen Time. Depending on the version of MIUI, the path may be slightly different, but the essence remains the same.
Inside the menu, find "Sleep Mode" or "Sleep Time," which is where you set up the automatic settings for the display at the specified hours, and you either turn it off completely or change the settings by removing the box from "Shades of Grey" or "Black and White".
- 📱 Open Settings on the main screen.
- ⏱️ Go to the Digital Well-Being section.
- 🌙 Select the option Sleep Mode or Time to go to bed.
- 🚫 Turn off the “Shades of Grey” switch or set the desired schedule.
If you don't want to give up your time control function completely, you can simply change the start and end times of the mode, which will allow you to save the color of the screen at night if you use your phone for work or reading, but will limit access to apps in the late night.
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Use the shortcut in the notification curtain to quickly switch to Digital Wellbeing mode so you don’t get into deep settings every time.
Settings of reading and protection of vision
Another important setting that affects color reproduction is the read mode, which is quite flexible and has several intensity levels on Xiaomi smartphones. The standard mode adds a warm yellow tint, but the advanced settings can completely discolor the picture.
To check this setting, open Settings and look for Screen, and you're interested in Read Mode. When you enter, look for active profiles, and if Full or Paper mode is enabled, the screen will lose color.
Also check the Vision Protection settings. In some firmware updates, adaptive brightness and color temperature algorithms may not work properly, especially in low light levels. Calibration of the screen in this section will help bring back natural colors.
| Parameter | Classic mode. | Paper mode. | Full mode. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color rendering | Natural. | Yellowish | Black and white. |
| Brightness | Standard. | Reduced | Minimum |
| Eye strain | Normal. | Reduced | Minimum |
| Recommendation | For everyday use | For reading the text | For a break from gadgets |
Remember, you can also set your schedule for reading mode, and if you have a sunset or timer that automatically turns on, your phone will switch to that mode every morning or evening without your knowledge.
☑️ Checking screen settings
Special facilities and accessibility
At the bottom of the system menu, there is a section called "Special Features" (or "Advanced Settings" -> "Special Features"), which contains features designed for people with visual or motor impairments, which can also affect the display of colors.
The most likely candidate is the Visibility Improvement or Color Inversion feature. Although inversion makes white black and black white, there are high contrast settings that can look like monochrome mode. Check the Text and Display section inside the special features menu.
Also worth noting is the Simplified Mode or Senior Mode feature, which, while it primarily changes the size of icons and fonts, in some MIUI customizations, it can also simplify the color scheme of the interface for better perception.
⚠️ Be careful when changing settings in the special features section, as some of them (such as TalkBack) can change the way you manage your smartphone, requiring double taps to activate.
If you find the Monochrome Mode feature enabled in the accessibility section, simply move the slider to the Off position.This action should instantly return the saturated colors to your Xiaomi display.
Use of the developer mode
For advanced users who don't find a solution in the standard menu, there's a hidden section called "Developers" that you can access by clicking on the build number several times in the About Phone section, and there's a deep system setting.
In the developer menu, scroll down to the "Hardware Rendering Acceleration" or "Monitoring" section, and we're interested in the "Simulate color space" item, and if you select "Monochrome" here, the screen will always be black and white.
To remedy the situation:
- Open Settings -> About the phone.
- Quickly click on the MIUI (or OS) version 7-10 times before the “You became a developer” sign appears.
- Return to the main settings menu, go to Additional -> For developers.
- Find the Simulated Color Space (SIMULATE COLOR SIZE) option.
- Select the value Unplugged.
Resetting the “Simulate Anomaly” setting to “Switched Off” is a critical step if previous methods have not helped, as this setting has the highest priority in the system.
What to do if the developer menu is blocked?
Third-party annexes and design themes
Don’t discount the impact of third-party software: Energy saving apps like Du Battery Saver or various “memory cleaners” often have their own power saving modes that include a black and white screen to save charge on AMOLED-matrixes.
Xiaomi users also like to install themes from the MIUI Themes store. Some themes, especially those that mimic the style of retro, e-books or minimalism, can force the system to change the color palette. Try temporarily switching to the standard theme "Classic" or "Default".
Check the list of newly installed apps. If the problem started right after installing any screenshot, screen recording, or launcher, try removing it. Launchers like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher may also have built-in nighttime features.
- 🔋 Check the settings of battery optimizer applications.
- 🎨 Change the theme of the design to the standard.
- 🗑️ Remove newly installed launchers or utilities.
- 🛡️ Check antivirus programs for “Vision Protection” modes».
Often, an app asks for permission to “Overlap Other Windows” or “Change System Colors,” and if you don’t remember why you gave those rights, you’d better revoke them in your app settings.
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Third-party themes and optimizer applications are the second most common reason for the appearance of a monochrome screen after the MIUI system settings.
Resetting and system restoration
If none of the above methods helped to return color to the screen, it is possible that the system has suffered a software failure or corruption of the configuration files, in which case a more radical intervention will be required.
The first step is to reset all settings to factory settings. This action will delete your data, so be sure to back up your contacts, photos and documents to the Xiaomi Cloud or your computer. Reset will return the phone to the "out of the box" state, killing all software errors.
To perform the reset, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Settings Reset -> Erase all data. Once the reboot is done, the phone will be clean and the color problem should disappear unless it is caused by physical damage.
⚠️ Warning: Before performing a full reset, make sure that the battery is at least 50% so that the phone does not turn off during data erasure, which can lead to a software failure.
In extreme cases, even if the reset did not help, you may need to flash the device through the computer using the Mi Flash Tool utility. However, this is a complex procedure that requires an unlocked bootloader and skills in working with system software.