Remove the black and white screen on Xiaomi Redmi Note 10

The sudden disappearance of colors from your smartphone display can be an unpleasant surprise, especially if you are used to bright and rich images. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 users often face a situation where the screen turns gray, and this does not always mean a breakdown of the matrix. Most of the time it is in randomly activated system functions designed to save vision or save battery power.

The MIUI operating system that runs Redmi devices offers many customization tools, including modes that filter blue light or completely turn the color scheme into shades of gray, and understanding how this logic works will help you quickly return a familiar picture without having to carry the gadget to the service center.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the possible causes of monochrome displays and provide step-by-step algorithms for each, and it will only take a couple of minutes to restore color reproduction, if you know which menu you want to look at first.

Checking the “Sleep” and “Reading” mode

The most common reason for changing the color gamut is to activate special display modes, which are implemented deep enough in the MIUI shell in the settings system, and often users accidentally turn them on, trying to quickly change the brightness or simply hitting a slider in the notification curtain.

Read mode is designed to simulate electronic paper, removing redundant colors to reduce eye strain when working with text. If it is on constantly, the entire interface will turn yellowish or completely black and white. To turn off this feature, you need to go to the settings menu and find the appropriate section.

There's also a Sleep mode that automatically turns the screen into a monochrome view on a schedule or when you lock the device, so that a dull gray screen doesn't stimulate the brain at bedtime the way bright blue light does. Check if you have this mode automatically turned on at night.

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Use Read Mode only when working with documents, as a permanent gray screen can distort the perception of colors in photos and videos.

To manually deactivate these functions, follow the following path: open Settings, then go to the Screen section. Here you will see "Read Mode" or "Paper Wallpaper". Make sure that the switch is in the "Off" position. If you prefer to use Read Mode but want to see colors in the gallery, set up exceptions for specific applications in the same menu.

Settings of special features and color correction

The second important area where color settings are hidden is the feature section, which is where features are designed for people with color perception, but they can also be activated by accident, such as color correction and inversion mode.

Color Correction allows you to change the color scheme for colorblind users. If this option is enabled, it forcibly changes the palette of the entire interface. To check this, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special Options. The Vision tab contains the Color Correction switch. Make sure it is turned off.

Another reason could be activated color inversion mode, in which case black becomes white and white becomes black, which is often perceived as a strange black and white image with negative effect, and this feature is disabled in the same special features section, often under the "Improving visibility" subsection.

• 🔍 Check the “Sight” section in the special features settings.
• 🎨 Make sure the color correction slider is off.
• 🔄 Turn off Color Inversion mode if it is active.
• 👁️ Check the contrast settings of the text, they can also affect perception.

⚠️ Note: If you have enabled color inversion mode, navigation on the menu can become extremely difficult due to unusual display of icons and text.

Also worth mentioning is the zoom function. Sometimes users accidentally activate the magnifier mode with a triple tap on the screen, and when combined with other settings, this can produce a strange visual effect.

Using Digital Well-Being and Sleep Mode

Modern smartphones, including the Redmi Note 10, are equipped with tools to monitor screen time. Google’s Digital Wellbeing or Xiaomi’s equivalent has a “Sleep Time” or “Sleep Mode” mode.

When the time you set your sleep schedule comes, the phone can automatically go black and white, to make smartphone use less appealing and to help you fall asleep, and if you notice that the screen only turns gray in the evening or at night, the problem is right here.

To manage these settings, go to Settings → Digital Well-Being (or Well-Being) and find “Sleep Mode” or “Sleep Time.” Inside, you’ll see the option “Shades of Grey” or “Monochrome Mode,” which you can either turn off completely or change the schedule so that it doesn’t turn on while you’re using your phone.

Path to setup: Settings -> Digital Well-Being -> Sleep Mode -> Shades of Grey (Off)

Importantly, this mode can override other color settings. Even if you turn off reading, Digital Well-being can turn the screen gray again according to its timer, so you always prioritize your sleep schedule if it's active.

Energy saving and modes of operation of the processor

A third possible reason for the color palette change is an aggressive energy saving policy: When the battery charge drops below a certain level (usually 20% or 10%), MIUI may suggest turning on the ultra-energy saving mode.

In this mode, the phone interface changes dramatically: only a black and white shell with large icons of the main applications (calls, messages, contacts) remains, this is done to maximize the life of the device in a critical situation, you can exit this mode by pressing the exit button in the corner of the screen or through the battery settings menu.

In addition, in the usual battery settings, there is a "Energy Saving Mode" option, which in some firmware versions can also limit the brightness and saturation of colors, although it does not turn the device into a full monochrome.

If the phone goes into this mode on its own, although the charge is still high, you may need to calibrate the battery or check the background processes that quickly land the device. In rare cases, resetting power consumption settings through the engineering menu helps, but this requires caution.

Third-party annexes and design themes

Remember, third-party programs can change color reproduction. There are many eye protection utilities in the Google Play Market and other app stores that work on top of Xiaomi's system settings. Apps like Blue Light Filter or Night Mode can have their own algorithms for turning the screen into black and white.

Also, the reason may be the set theme. Some of the themes in the MIUI Themes store have built-in styles that change not only icons, but also system colors, making them monochrome. If you recently changed theme and lost the colors immediately after that, try bringing back the standard theme.

Check the list of newly installed apps. If you downloaded some kind of filter, eye protection, or launcher before you have a problem, try removing it. Often, these apps ask permission to "overlay over other windows," giving them full control over what you see.

⚠️ Warning: Third-party launchers may conflict with the system settings of the display.If the problem occurs after installing a new desktop, temporarily return the standard launcher to check.

To remove a suspicious app, go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the program in the list and click “Delete.” After that, be sure to restart the device to reset the GUI cache.

Hardware problems and resetting settings

If none of the software methods worked and the Redmi Note 10 screen remains black and white, there is a possibility of hardware failure, which could be damage to the display plume, problems with the screen power controller, or a defect in the matrix itself, especially if the phone has recently fallen or been exposed to moisture.

But before you can get the device repaired, you should try "heavy artillery," which is resetting all the settings, and it will bring the software back to factory status. Importantly, make sure you back up all the important data before you do that, because it will be deleted.

To perform the reset, go to Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset → Erase all data. If the phone does not turn on normally or the problem occurs immediately when you boot, you can try to enter Recovery mode (pressing the power and volume button) and select Wipe Data.

In the case when software methods are powerless, and the image on the screen has artifacts, stripes or uneven backlighting in addition to the lack of color, it is a matter of repair.

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If the software reset did not eliminate the problem, further independent actions can lead to the final breakdown of the device - contact the specialists.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)