Back in 2015 there was a trend with new smartphones, to provide a grayscale mode. It got activated on ultra-battery saving mode. Enabling the device to extend its battery life for another couple hours on 5% or less battery.
Graphics chips in smartphones consume a lot less power while rendering content in black and white, than they do color. This is because there is a broader color spectrum for 32-bit color than there is grayscale. The Pixel and Nexus device do not have this mode front and centre in the OS. They do have it embedded in the developer settings, which will change the color of the screen just the same.
The option may not have the exact same battery saving benefits as true grayscale mode on some other devices. This is because it is unclear whether the mode works as an overly, or at a GPU level. Another advantage of turning your screen black and white is that it looks less appealing. So if you think that your smartphone usage is getting out of hand, it can help cure your addiction.
Step 1: Enable Developer Options
First up, you’ll need to enable the “Developer Options” menu on your Pixel or Nexus. To do that, head to “Settings” > “About Phone”, then scroll down to “Build number”. Tap severn times repeatedly. If you do this right, you’ll see a message that says “You are now a developer!”
Step 2: Enable the Monochromacy ColorSpace
Next, go back to the Settings menu, then scroll down to “Developer Options”. From there, scroll down and find the “Hardware accelerated rendering” section. ( This is close to the bottom of this menu). At the bottom of this section (and just above the Media section), select the “Simulate color space” option. From here, choose “Monochromacy” on the popup, then your screen will immediately enter grayscale mode.
Step 3: Enjoy using GrayScale Mode
From now on everything on your screen will be presented to you in black and white. Pictures, video, apps, texts, homescreen, settings, app drawer etc will all be grayscale. Just to confirm, this may or may not present itself with any battery savings, but hey it’s worth a shot! Maybe you could use this to pranks you partner, friend or child as they’ll probably not know how to change it back!
Be sure to let us know in the comments below, whether it does offer any battery savings!
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