Faced with a situation where your Xiaomi smartphone display suddenly loses color and becomes monochrome while connecting to the network, many users fall into a stupor. It would seem that the device simply charges, but the visual interface turns into a kind of old e-book. This is a common problem that often scares owners, but in 99% of cases it is not a sign of hardware breakdown of the matrix.
The reasons for this behavior of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system can be found in randomly activated power saving functions, features of installed design themes, or even in specific modes of operation for the eyes. Understanding what mechanism caused the color blackout is the first step to successfully solving the problem.
In this article, we will take a look at all possible scenarios, from simple read-mode settings to deep system changes, and provide step-by-step algorithms to return a bright picture, learn how to quickly diagnose the source of the problem and what hidden parameters are worth checking first.
Reading and Digital Well-Being
The most likely culprit behind the disappearance of colors is Read Mode, which can be activated by default at low charge or on a schedule.This option, designed to reduce eye strain, turns the interface into shades of gray, mimicking paper. Some firmware versions have a setting that turns on this mode automatically when the phone is put on charge at night.
To test this, you need to go to the settings menu and find the partition that's responsible for the screen. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same. You need to find Settings → Screen → Reading Mode. This is where the switch that makes your Redmi or Poco go black and black hides.
Within this menu, look for additional options like Add Apps or Schedule. Often users accidentally activate the "Enable Automatically" tick without realizing the consequences.
- 📱 Go to Settings and select the Screen section.
- 📖 Find the Read Mode and make sure it is turned off.
- 🕒 Check the Schedule tab and remove all active timers.
- 🎨 Make sure the Color slider is shifted towards the color mode, not the h/b.
It's worth noting that new versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS have expanded their digital well-being settings, and it may have a "rest time" or "sleep" feature that also limits colors. If standard reading mode is disabled, check the Digital Well-being → Sleep mode section, and maybe the charging time is the same as the set time you've taken off.
Impact of Design and Personalization Themes
The second most common cause is the themes downloaded from the official Themes store. Many designs, especially those that mimic retro style, minimalism or electronic ink, force the color palette of the system to change, the problem arises when the theme is applied incorrectly or contains a bug that activates monochrome only under certain conditions, for example, when a charger is connected.
If you've recently updated a theme or installed a new launcher, the problem is probably that, and even if the theme seems normal, there may be scenarios in the code that conflict with the standard display settings, and to rule out this, you need to temporarily return the standard design.
To diagnose, reset the theme to the factory. This won't delete your data, but will return standard icons and wallpaper. Go to the Themes app, click on the profile avatar and select My Themes → Classic (or Default). If the colors returned immediately after the theme change, then the problem was third-party design.
Why do topics cause disruption?
Also check the personalization settings in the phone's settings menu itself. Settings path → Wallpaper and personalization → System colors may contain an active filter. Some users randomly choose a monochrome palette, thinking it's just the style of icons, but it affects the entire interface.
- 🎨 Open the Topics app on the desktop.
- 👤 Click on the profile icon in the lower right corner.
- 🔄 Choose My Themes and Apply the Standard Classic Theme.
- 🖌 Check the Color section for active filters.
Special Opportunities and Inversion
Android has powerful accessibility tools that are designed for people with visual impairments, but can be activated by accident, features like Color Inversion or Color Correction can completely change the display of a picture. In the case of charging, sometimes scenarios related to Do Not Disturb or Night Mode that activate these features work.
Special attention should be paid to the special features section. This is a switch that can make the screen black and white permanently or on a schedule. If you accidentally hit a key combination (often a triple press of the power or volume button), color correction mode may have turned on.
Check the Settings path → Advanced Settings → Special Features → Vision tab. There are critical switches here. Make sure Color Inversion, Color Correction, and Grey Mode are turned off. Having an active tick at any of these points makes it impossible for normal color displays to occur.
⚠️ Note: In some Xiaomi models, a quick press of the power button 5 times activates the “Mode” SOS» Or "Emergency Call," which can also change the screen interface. Check the settings of the power button in the Advanced Settings section.
If you use third-party apps to read from the screen or zoom in, they may also have their own filters: Check the list of installed apps from the Special Features category and disable suspicious services.
| Function | Location on the menu | Screen impact | How to turn off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading mode | Screen → Reading mode | Makes the background white, the text black, removes the colors | Turn off the switch in the menu |
| Color correction | Special Opportunities → Vision | Changes the palette (e.g., deuteranopia) | Select "No" or "Disabled" |
| Color inversion | Special Opportunities → Vision | Turns colors into negatives | Turn off the switchboard |
| Dark subject matter | Settings → Screen | Makes the background black (not ch/b, but changes appearance) | Select "Bright theme" |
Energy saving and battery optimization
The battery algorithms in MIUI are quite aggressive. When the phone is connected to charging, the system can interpret this as a signal to go into a certain mode, especially if a non-original charger or low-quality cable is used. In an attempt to "optimize" the process, the system can limit the color gamut, although this is less common than software bugs.
Check the battery settings. In Settings → Battery (or through the Security → Battery app), see if the Ultra Battery Saver mode is activated, which turns the interface into black and white and leaves only basic functions to extend the life of the phone at a critical charge, sometimes it sticks and doesn’t turn off automatically after charging starts.
It's also worth checking your charging settings. New versions of the software have the Optimized Charging feature, which studies your habits. If the algorithm doesn't work properly, it can block some visual effects. Try turning it off temporarily to check its effect on the screen.
☑️ Diagnostics of battery problems
Another nuance is overheating: If the phone gets too hot during charging, the system can reduce brightness and change the color reproduction to protect the matrix and the processor. Make sure the device does not lie on a soft surface (blanket, cushion) that interferes with heat transfer.
Resetting and restarting the system
If none of the above methods worked, there may have been a software glitch that requires rebooting interface services, and a simple reboot often solves the problem, as it clears temporary files and resets the frozen processes responsible for rendering graphics.
Try a full reboot: press the power button and select Reboot. If that doesn't work, do a soft reset that forcibly restarts the system: press the power button and hold it for about 10-15 seconds until the screen goes out and the Mi or Poco logo appears.
In more complex cases, logging into Safe Mode helps to determine if a third-party app is to blame. To log in, press the turn off button, and when the Turn off icon appears on the screen, press and hold it with your finger for a few seconds. The phone will suggest that you go to Safe Mode. If this mode is normal, delete the newly installed apps.
⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse Safe Mode with Recovery Mode. If you see a menu with English letters and a yellow/black screen, it's Recovery. To exit, just select Reboot or press the power button for 10 seconds.
If that doesn’t work, the last resort is to reset all settings to factory settings. Remember, a full reset (Wipe Data) will delete all your photos, contacts and apps, so be sure to back up your data to the Mi Cloud cloud or your computer before doing this.
Hardware problems and diagnostics of the display
If the black and white screen only appears when the charging cable is in a certain position or when it taps on the body, the problem may be in the display plume or the power controller. AMOLED-screens.
To diagnose hardware, Xiaomi phones have a hidden engineering menu. To get into it, open the Phone app and dial the code ##64663## (or ##6484##). In the menu that opens, select the Display test or Color Test. If the test colors are displayed normally, then the hardware is good and the problem is software.
Even if the screen is black and white on the engineering menu, or if you see artifacts, stripes, spots, it's a direct way to the service center. Self-repair of the display at home without experience can lead to final failure of the device.
💡
Use the code ##64663## to quickly check all sensors and screens without installing third-party apps.
Also note the power supply. Cheap Chinese charging often gives unstable voltage, which can cause chaotic behavior of the screen controller. Try charging the phone from another source (PowerBank, computer, original charging) to exclude the influence of current.