/grayscale

Android 'quick settings tile' for toggling your screen between grayscale/full color

Primary LanguageJavaApache License 2.0Apache-2.0

Grayscale

Grayscale is a quick settings tile that can toggle your display between full color and grayscale. Demo

Why this app?

Normally this setting exists in
Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Simulate color space -> Monochromacy. This can be a pain to change quickly by hand! Grayscale is a quick settings tile that allows you to toggle this setting.

How to install

  1. install adb (guide)
  2. download the app (right click to save as..)
  3. install the app
    adb install grayscale-1.0.apk
    
  4. grant secure settings permissions
    adb -d shell pm grant com.dtkav.grayscale android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
    

Additional Informaition

App Permissions

Developer options cannot be changed by apps without special permission, so you have to grant special permissions to Grayscale in order to use it. The secure settings permission flag is broad, so it's a good idea to review the code first! I've compiled the APK without obfuscation, so you can analyze it with Android Studio if you like.

If your phone is rooted, check out the next section, otherwise skip to adb.

Rooted Phone

If your phone is rooted, you can grant permissions directly on your phone.

abd

If you phone isn't rooted, then you need to use adb (Android Debug Bridge) to grant the app special permission. This can be done with the following command:

 adb -d shell pm grant com.dtkav.grayscale android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Manually setting your phone to grayscale (no app required)

You can manually set your phone to grayscale (this app is just a quick toggle) in developer options. You can enable on-device developer options by following these instructions. Once you have developer options, the setting exists in
Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Simulate color space -> Monochromacy.

Fork Notes

This was forked from fei-ke because I didn't want to grant broad permissions to a random app on the play store. I've also changed to the US spelling of "grayscale", as well as add more detailed instructions in the README.

You can find fei-ke's app Greyscale on google play.