How to Use Your iPhone as a Magnifying Glass to Read Small Print

Remember keeping a little magnifier in the kitchen drawer? The one you'd reach for when the print on a pill bottle or a jar of jam was just too tiny to make out? Your iPhone has a built-in magnifier that does the same job — and it's already on your phone, waiting to be used.

Once you know where it is, you may find yourself reaching for it more often than you'd expect: reading a restaurant menu in dim light, checking the expiration date on a can of soup, or making out the serial number on the back of your television.

Finding the Magnifier

The Magnifier is an app that comes with every iPhone. It looks like a small dark circle with a lighter circle inside — a picture of a magnifying glass.

The easiest way to find it is to ask Siri. Press and hold the side button on your iPhone and say, "Open Magnifier." The app will pop right open.

If you'd rather find it yourself, swipe down from the middle of your home screen. A search bar will appear at the top. Type the word Magnifier and tap the app when it shows up.

Using It to Read Small Print

When the Magnifier opens, you'll see whatever your phone's camera is pointing at, shown big on the screen. Hold your phone a few inches above the small print you want to read — the same way you'd hold a handheld magnifier over a newspaper.

At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a slider — a line with a small dot on it. Slide the dot to the right to make things bigger, and to the left to make them smaller. Go slowly. A little movement makes a big difference.

If the print is in a shadowy spot, tap the small lightning-bolt icon to turn on the phone's flashlight. Suddenly that dark pill bottle becomes readable.

Freezing the Picture

Here's a handy trick. If your hands aren't perfectly steady, or if you want to study something without holding the phone up the whole time, tap the large round button in the middle at the bottom of the screen.

The picture will freeze, like taking a snapshot. Now you can hold the phone comfortably in your lap and read at your own pace. When you're finished, tap the same button again and you're back to the live view.

Keeping It Handy

If you think you'll use the Magnifier often, it's worth putting it somewhere easy to find. Here's one simple way:

Open the Magnifier once (using Siri or by searching, as above).
Close it by pressing the home button, or swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
Now swipe down from the middle of the home screen again and type Magnifier. Instead of tapping to open it, press and hold the app icon.
Choose Add to Home Screen.

Now the little magnifying-glass icon will sit right on your home screen, ready whenever you need it — just like that magnifier you kept in the kitchen drawer.

Try It Today

Pick up a bottle of vitamins, a piece of mail with fine print, or the back of a food package. Open the Magnifier, hold your phone above it, and slide the dot to the right until the words come into focus. That's it — you've turned a $600 phone into the world's most convenient reading glass.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.