Grayscale Curse
The colour leaves at dusk.
Open in Safari on your iPhone. Download the file, open it from Safari Downloads or Files, then follow the prompts to add it in Shortcuts.
What happens
At sunset their phone drains to black and white, with one notification: “The colour leaves at dusk.” At sunrise the colour comes back, as if nothing happened.
Setup
- Check Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters is set to Grayscale (the default), then switch it back off.
- Open this page in Safari on the iPhone, download the file (or AirDrop it), open it from Safari Downloads or Files, and tap Add Shortcut.
- Long-press it in Shortcuts → All Shortcuts → Rename and call it Dusk, so it doesn’t give itself away.
- Download the Dawn restore shortcut below and add it too. Run Dusk while unlocked: the screen should become grey. Choose Always Allow where offered. Run Dawn to check that colour returns.
- Create Shortcuts → Automation → + → Time of Day → Sunset, Daily, Run Immediately, then select Dusk.
- Create a second Time of Day → Sunrise automation, Daily, Run Immediately, and select Dawn. Each shortcut performs its own explicit action, even if sunrise or sunset falls on the unexpected side of noon.
Undo
Delete both automations and both shortcuts. If it’s stuck grey, run Dawn, or use Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters → Off.
Test the trigger
Installing the file does not create its automation. After the manual test, trigger the event once and check the result. If the shortcut picker is unavailable, create a blank automation, add Run Shortcut, and select this shortcut. Menus, previews and app-opening actions may still need interaction or an unlocked phone even with Run Immediately selected. If it stops, run from the shortcut’s … editor to identify the failing action.