Invert Colors on Android Phones

How to Invert the Colors on Your Android Phone’s Screen

by Cameron Summerson 

If you (or someone you love) has vision issues, however, the tiny fonts and complex colors on modern phones can makes them nearly impossible to use. Fortunately, there’s a feature built in to Android that allows users to easily invert the colors, making things much easier for those with poorer eyesight.

How to Invert Colors on Stock Android

If you’re using a stock Android device, like a Google Pixel, inverting colors is actually a breeze.

First, pull down the notification shade, then give it a second tug. Look for an option that reads “Invert Colors.” If it doesn’t show up on the first panel of the quick settings shade, you may have to swipe over—it’ll be on the second.

If, for some reason, it still doesn’t show up here, you can easily add this tile. Tap the little pencil icon at the bottom (this allows you to edit the quick settings panel), find the Invert Colors tile, then drag it to the top area. Similarly, if this tile shows up on the second page and you’d like to have it on the first page for quick access, you can move it into the top nine spots to make sure it always shows up where you need it. If you put it in the top six spots, it will even show up in the persistent quick settings bar, so you won’t have to pull the shade down a second time. It’s all about convenience.

How to Invert Colors on Samsung Galaxy Devices

If you’re using a Galaxy device, then you’ll have to dig a little deeper to get to the invert colors setting, as it’s not tethered to a quick setting tile like it is on stock Android. Per the norm, Samsung likes to change stuff for literally no reason.

Go ahead and pull the notification shade down and tap the gear icon.

Scroll down until you find the “Accessibility” entry, then tap into that menu. From there, choose “Vision.”

There are a lot of options in this menu, but you need to scroll down almost to the very bottom—the next to last option should read “Negative colors.” Tap the toggle next to it to enable the feature.

Boom, that’s it. If this is something you plan on leaving enabled all the time, that’s fine. The only issue with it being three menus deep is the inconvenience it causes if it’s something you only use part of the time. That’s why I wish there was a toggle in the quick settings panel, like on stock devices.