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Magnify or describe things around you with Magnifier on iPhone

In the Magnifier app, you can use your iPhone like a magnifying glass to zoom in on text or objects around you.

The Magnifier app showing a close-up of an unripe orange.

Magnify nearby text or objects

  1. Go to the Magnifier app on your iPhone.

  2. Point the iPhone camera at the text or object you want to magnify, then drag the slider to zoom in or out.

  3. You can also use any of the following controls:

Tip: Set up a shortcut to quickly open Magnifier by clicking or pressing an iPhone button or tapping the back of iPhone, or from Control Center. See Quickly turn accessibility features on or off.

On supported models, you can also customize the Camera Control to open Magnifier. See Use the Camera Control to open another app.

Temporarily freeze the frame

You can temporarily capture what’s in the frame, without saving it to Photos.

  1. Go to the Magnifier app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap the Capture button, then do one of the following:

    • Take one or more photos: Press and hold the Capture button, then select Single Photo or Multi-Photo to take a photo or multiple photos.

      If you select Multi-Photo, you’ll see a group of photos in the bottom right corner of the screen.

    • Capture text and reframe it: Press and hold the Capture button, then select Document. Follow the written and spoken instructions to get the text in frame or drag the corners of the box that appear around the text, then tap Confirm.

      After you tap Confirm, tap the Reader button to view the text with Accessibility Reader. See view your captured text in a format for easier reading or to listen to your captured text.

    • Customize and listen to text: If you’re magnifying text, tap the Reader button to view your captured text in a format for easier reading or to listen to your captured text.

    • Share captured images: Tap the Share button for more options, such as sharing the captured frame or saving it to your photos.

    • Stop viewing captured images: Tap the Close button to unfreeze the frame and return to the live Magnifier lens.

To reset Magnifier, press and hold the Capture button anytime and select Document, Multi-Photo, or Single-Photo.

View your captured text in a format for easier reading

If you magnify a frame that contains text, you can view it in a format adapted for easier reading. You can even adjust fonts, layouts, and background colors.

  1. Go to the Magnifier app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap the Capture button to capture the frame, then tap the Reader button.

    Magnifier alerts you if no text is detected in the frame you captured.

  3. Tap the More button, then tap Customize Reader.

  4. Select a theme, then tap Edit.

  5. Do any of the following:

    • Text Color: Choose a color or tap Custom Color.

    • Background Color: Choose a color or tap Custom Color.

    • Text Size: Drag the slider left or right to make the text smaller or larger.

    • Font: Choose a font.

    • High Legibility Characters: Turn on High Legibility Characters.

      Note: This option is only available when using System Font.

    • Bold Text: Turn on Bold Text.

    • Line Spacing: Choose the Default button, the Loose button, or the Open button to customize the space between lines.

    • Word Spacing: Choose the Default button, the Loose button, or the Open button to customize the space between words.

    • Character Spacing: Choose the Default button, the Loose button, or the Open button to customize the space between characters.

    • Hyperlinks: Turn Show Links on or off. When turned on, you can customize the color.

    • Playback: Turn Highlighting on or off. When turned on, you can customize the style or highlight color.

    • Rename: Enter a name for the settings you choose.

    • Reset to Default: Reset all themes to their default settings.

      Tip: Rename a theme with your custom settings so you can easily find it and reuse it later.

You can also use Accessibility Reader to customize the text in apps. See Read or listen to text in apps with Accessibility Reader on iPhone.

Listen to your captured text

  1. Go to the Magnifier app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap the Capture button to capture the frame, then tap the Reader button.

    Magnifier alerts you if no text is detected in the frame you captured.

  3. Do any of the following:

    • Listen to the text: Tap the Play button.

    • Pause the text: Tap the Pause button.

    • Skip backward or forward: Tap the Rewind button or the Forward button.

    • Increase or decrease the speed: Tap the Speaking Rate One Times button, then select a speed.

    • Go to a specific time: Drag the slider left or right.

      Note: You can hide or show audio controls: Tap the More button, then tap the Hide Audio Controls button.

Get live descriptions of your surroundings

If you’re blind or have low vision, you can use Detection Mode in the Magnifier app on iPhone to scan your surroundings and get live descriptions of the scenes detected in the camera view. Live descriptions are available as text or speech.

Important: Detection Mode should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations, in circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, or for navigation.

  1. Go to the Magnifier app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap the Detection Mode button to start Detection Mode.

    If you don’t see the Detection Mode button, you can add it. See Customize controls.

  3. Touch and hold the Detection Mode button, select Scenes, then do any of the following:

  4. To temporarily pause detection, double-tap the screen with two fingers. Double-tap again with two fingers to resume detection. To stop Detection Mode, tap the Detection Mode button.

If you use VoiceOver, you can turn on Live Recognition from any screen on iPhone and get descriptions of your surroundings without going to the Magnifier app. See Get live descriptions of your surroundings with VoiceOver.

See alsoAccessibility features for vision on iPhone
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