The sudden disappearance of colors on the screen of a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone often causes panic among users, it seems that the device has failed, the screen has “burned” or there has been a critical failure of the matrix, but in the vast majority of cases the problem lies not in the hardware, but in the software settings of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system.
Black and white, also known as reading mode or monochrome filter, can be activated accidentally by prolonged pressing of screen buttons or automatically triggering the timer. This is a standard feature designed to reduce eye strain and reduce cravings for the use of the gadget, but at the wrong time it becomes a serious obstacle.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all possible causes of color loss and provide step-by-step instructions for eliminating them, learn how to manage system filters, where to look for hidden developer settings, and what to do if standard methods do not help restore normal color reproduction.
Reasons for activation of monochrome mode
The first step to solving the problem is to understand what caused the change in color. Android, which runs Xiaomi smartphones, offers many tools for customizing the interface, some of which can be activated unobtrusively to the user.
Often users turn on their own Digital Well-Being or Sleep Mode without realizing the consequences, tools designed to combat smartphone addiction by turning the screen into shades of gray to make content less attractive to the brain, and the reason may be the on-line E-book mode or specific accessibility settings for the visually impaired.
⚠️ Note: If the black and white image is accompanied by the appearance of strange stripes, ripples or flickering, this may indicate physical damage to the plume of the display or the matrix itself after falling.
In addition to software failures, you should consider the possibility of hardware malfunction. If the software settings are fine, but the colors do not return, the display plume may have departed. In rare cases, the cause is a malfunction of the GPU or damage after moisture.
Disconnection of the Electronic Books Regime
One of the most common reasons on Redmi and Xiaomi devices is the activated E-Book mode, which optimizes the screen for long-term reading, removing the blue spectrum and reducing saturation to a minimum, which is visually perceived as a black image.
To check the status of this feature, you need to go to the settings menu. Usually the path is: Settings → Screen → Read Mode. In some versions of the firmware, this item may be called “E-book Mode” or located in the “Special features” section.
Inside the menu, you'll see a switch that turns the screen into a monochrome view. If it's active, just turn it off. You can also set a schedule to turn on automatically at certain times of the day, which is often confusing.
☑️ Checking the reading mode
Importantly, new versions of HyperOS may have changed the logic of this mode, and it can now be integrated into the general display settings without a separate dedicated partition. If you haven't found an explicit switch, try looking for the text enhancement or color adaptation option.
Digital Well-Being Settings and Timers
Google has introduced a powerful toolkit called Digital Well-Being to help users control screen time, one of the tools being called Sleep Mode or Sleep Time.
When the user sets a time (e.g. 23:00), the phone automatically switches to black and white mode, which is done to reduce brain stimulation and help the person fall asleep faster, and you can turn this off through the system settings.
You can follow the path: Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls → Sleep Mode (or Sleep Time), where you can find the color filter and deactivate it, and you can change the time intervals of the function.
| Function | Location on the menu | Screen impact |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic book regime | Settings → Screen | Full color removal, contrast text |
| Sleep regimen | Digital well-being | Shades of gray, decrease in brightness |
| Night mode. | Settings → Screen | Warm yellow hue (not c/b) |
| Color inversion | Special opportunities | Negative image |
Be careful, as settings may be reset after a system update. Check these points periodically if the problem returns with enviable regularity. Process automation in MIUI sometimes works incorrectly, including modes at the wrong time.
Why does sleep make the screen black and white?
Special Opportunities and Inversion
The Accessibility section hides features designed for people with visual or motor impairments, and accidentally activating some of them can completely change the color scheme of the interface.
One of these features is Color Inversion, which turns black white and white black when it's turned on, which, when combined with a dark theme, can create a strange monochrome effect, and can also activate the Gray Shades filter.
To check, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special Options → Visual (or Vision) and check the status of the Color Inversion and Color Correction switches, if they are on, turn them off.
Often, users accidentally activate these features through a quick menu. If you swipe down to open the curtain and then swipe to the right, you can find the "Special Features" button. One careless touch can trigger an unwanted mode.
⚠️ Warning: Fast color inversion activation often occurs when you triple press the power or volume button if this function has been pre-assigned in special features settings.
Make sure that the Quick Action menu does not have short-press accessibility calls, which will help avoid accidental changes in the future, especially if the phone is used by children.
Use of the developer mode
If standard settings didn't help, maybe the problem lies deeper in developer mode. This hidden section is designed to test apps and debug, but contains settings that affect how graphics are displayed.
One of these options is Simulation of Anomalies (or Size of Space), and if you select Monochrome, the entire system interface will be forced to black and white, ignoring other settings.
To get to the developer menu, you need to quickly click on the build number 7 times in the About Phone section. Then, in the Additional → For developers menu, find the section related to hardware acceleration or rendering.
Settings → About the phone → (7 times tap on MIUI Version) → Additional settings → For developers → Search: SimulationIn Simulate color space, you should select Disabled. If it says Monochrome, change the setting, and then the screen should instantly return its colors.
💡
If you do not use debugging functions, it is better to completely disable the developer mode to avoid accidental changes in system parameters.
Third-party annexes and design themes
Third-party software: Installed applications for battery saving, reading books, or screen “improvers” can have their own filters overriding system settings.
The theme may also be the cause. Some of the MIUI Theme Store's themes have scripts built in to change the system's color palette, and if the problem comes right after you change the theme, try returning the standard design.
- 📱 Check out newly installed apps with screen access rights.
- 🎨 Temporarily switch to the standard theme "Classic" or "Standard».
- 🛡️ Scan your device with an antivirus for malware that changes your system’s behavior.
Special attention should be paid to reading applications, such as various Reader or E-book utilities, which often request permission to overlay on top of other windows and can keep their filter active even after closing.
If you use third-party launchers (Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, etc.), check their settings. In rare cases, they may conflict with the system theme of the design, causing visual artifacts.
Diagnostics of hardware problems
When software methods are exhausted and the screen remains black and white, you need to consider the possibility of a hardware malfunction, which may be a defect in the matrix, the plume or the image controller.
Do a visual inspection: are there any cracks, spots or impact marks on the screen? Even if the glass is whole, the internal impact could damage the contacts. Try to slightly press the screen frame in different places — if the colors blink or appear stripes, the problem is physical.
It's also worth resetting all settings to factory (pre-backup), which eliminates any software conflicts, and if after a clean reset and without installing third-party applications, the mode is maintained, it's 99% hardware failure.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to disassemble the phone yourself if it is warranty.Opening the case will result in the loss of warranty obligations.
In the event of a hardware breakdown, the only solution would be to go to an authorized Xiaomi service center, replacing the plume or display module – a standard procedure, but requiring professional equipment.
💡
If the reset to the factory settings did not remove the black and white mode, the problem is likely hardware in nature and requires repair.