Facebook glitch turns color photos black and white for users worldwide

DECODED: TECH, TRUTH, AND THREATS

A mysterious technical glitch is currently affecting Facebook users globally, including here in the Philippines, causing color photographs to automatically convert to black and white upon being uploaded to the platform.

The issue, which began gaining traction starting April 18, appears to affect both personal profiles and professional business pages. While the original images remain in full color on users’ devices, they undergo an unintended monochrome transformation once processed by Facebook’s servers.

I personally encountered this anomaly yesterday, April 19. Upon uploading a standard color photograph to my feed, the image was rendered in high-contrast black and white within seconds of posting.

Despite attempting several common troubleshooting steps—including converting the file to different formats, clearing the application cache, and attempting the upload via a desktop browser—the glitch persisted. On my account, these suggested workarounds did not work, reinforcing the theory that the error is rooted deep within Meta’s server-side processing rather than the user’s local environment.

Technical reports and user feedback indicate that the bug is “selective.” In some instances, multi-photo “carousel” posts show a mix of color and black-and-white images, despite all original files being in color.

While Meta has not yet released an official statement regarding the cause, some users suggest the glitch may be linked to a failure in the platform’s sRGB color profile mapping or a conflict within a recent server-side update.

The inability of standard fixes to resolve the issue for many users highlights the severity of the bug. For those affected, re-uploading or switching devices appears to offer no relief, suggesting a temporary wait is the only current solution.

Meta is expected to roll out a hot-fix within the next 24 to 48 hours. For now, Facebook users may find their digital memories looking a bit more “vintage” than intended, with no immediate way to restore the color.