Do you ever find yourself mindlessly checking your smartphone, just for the sake of it, even without receiving a notification?
It’s something a lot of us might not want to admit to, but we’re all growing more dependent on our smartphones, and it can be difficult to switch off.
However, some are claiming that a hidden function on the iPhone could help curb your constant refreshing habits, and it’s a simple button click.
All you need to do is change your iPhone screen settings to ‘greyscale’ – effectively putting your iPhone into black and white.
There’s not much in the way of scientific basis for greyscale actually making your phone less addictive, but some users have found that they were less inclined to look at their screen when it was greyed out.
So how does it work? Well, it’s a mixture of things – notifications are no longer red, a colour which can have a stimulating effect on the brain, while some apps are simply less attractive to look at.
“Instagram, when everything’s in greyscale, is pretty awful,” notes The Atlantic’s James Hamblin, who has his iPhone set to the special mode.
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It might even take you back to the old Nokia days when your phone was simply, well, just a phone.
Some Twitter users seem to be fans of greyscale on their mobiles.
Still, not everyone’s so convinced about its anti-addiction qualities.
To try it yourself, go in Settings, then General, Accessibility, and turn Greyscale on.
