Your Phone Has a Handy Magnifying Glass
Photo source: Flickr
Smartphones have quietly replaced plenty of things we used to carry around. They can be a camera, torch, map, diary and even a way to pay for your shopping. But there’s another useful feature hiding in many phones: a built-in magnifier.
It’s particularly handy when you’re trying to read something with tiny print. A medicine label, appliance instructions, restaurant menu or the small buttons on a remote control can all become much easier to see when you use your phone’s camera and magnification features.
On an iPhone, the Magnifier is a dedicated accessibility tool that uses the camera to enlarge what you’re looking at. Android phones vary between manufacturers, but many include magnification or accessibility options that provide a similar function.
You don’t need to replace your reading glasses with your phone. Think of the magnifier as a convenient backup for those moments when you need a closer look. It can be especially useful around the house, where small print on packaging or labels can be surprisingly difficult to read.
The feature can also help with fiddly tasks. If you’re trying to identify which tiny screw you need, inspect a small mark on an object or look closely at a button or connection, enlarging the image on your screen can give you a much clearer view.
It’s worth spending a few minutes finding the feature before you actually need it. Search your phone’s settings for “Magnifier,” “Magnification” or “Accessibility.” Depending on your phone, you may also be able to add a shortcut so it can be opened quickly.
Just remember that magnification isn’t a substitute for getting your eyesight checked if you’re regularly struggling to read things you previously had no trouble seeing. A phone can make small print bigger, but it can’t tell you why your vision has changed.
Still, it’s a useful little trick to have up your sleeve. Once you’ve found your phone’s magnifier, you may wonder how many times you’ve reached for your reading glasses when your smartphone could have done the job.
