How to Use the Zoom Feature on iPhone

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Apple’s accessibility features seem to be endless. So, learning something new that you can do with your iPhone or iPad is easy. Even the Apple Watch has accessibility features that let you control it with nothing but hand gestures.

No matter your situation, the iPhone has many features that make it accessible and easy to use for anyone. Take the Zoom feature, for instance. You can use it and really change how you look at your iPhone. If you don’t want to put on your glasses all the time, or you want to zoom in and out of your iPhone easily, continue reading. 

What’s the Zoom Feature?

Zoom is an accessibility feature that lets you magnify your iPhone’s screen. It doesn’t matter which app you’re using; you can zoom in or out to read or check some detail that’s hard to see. Think of it as using the Magnifier app on your iPhone’s screen.

How to Enable Zoom on iPhone

Enabling Zoom on iPhone couldn’t be any easier. But don’t enable it until you know how to use it properly. So make sure to keep reading before turning it on. 

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and select Accessibility.
  3. Tap on Zoom.
  4. Toggle Zoom on.

Your iPhone will immediately zoom in on the screen. Don’t worry, though; you can always zoom in and out whenever you want.

How to Control Zoom on Your iPhone

You can control the zoom to basically do everything you need. You can zoom in and out with a couple of taps and also change the zoom level so that you don’t zoom in completely. 

To zoom in and out, all you need to do is double-tap your screen with three fingers, and your iPhone will automatically zoom in or out completely. 

You need to drag three fingers on your screen if you want to move around while you’re zoomed in. 

And if you want to adjust the zoom level manually, you can double-tap your screen with three fingers and immediately drag without releasing your fingers. This one takes a bit of practice, but you’ll get the gist of it after a few tries. 

Last but not least, if you want to access the Zoom menu, all you need to do is triple-tap with three fingers on your screen. 

Enable Smart Typing While Using Zoom

By default, you can’t use the keyboard on your iPhone while you’re using Zoom. So, what do you do if you want to be able to type while you’re zoomed in?

Fortunately, you can change this too if you want. 

  1. Go to the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
  3. Select Zoom.
  4. Toggle Smart Typing on.

Now, next time you want to type, the keyboard will appear as usual and, instead of a full-screen zoom, you’ll only have a window zoom. 

How to Switch Between Full Screen Zoom and Window Zoom

The Zoom feature has two different modes: Full-Screen Zoom and Window Zoom. 

With Full-Screen Zoom, your whole screen will zoom in when you use Zoom. On the other hand, Window Zoom will make a small window pop up on top of your iPhone, and you can move it around and choose where to zoom in. 

By default, Full Screen Zoom is the first option you get, but you can change it like this:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down and go to Accessibility.
  3. Tap on Zoom.
  4. Tap on Zoom Region.
  5. Select Full Screen Zoom or Window Zoom.

There’s a faster way to do it. Just Triple tap your screen with three fingers to bring out the Zoom menu and select Choose Region. Then tap Full Screen Zoom or Window Zoom. Tap outside the menu to close it.

How to Use the Zoom Controller

As we mentioned before, you can move around your zoomed-in screen by dragging three fingers. But you can also enable the Zoom controller if that’s easier for you.

The cool thing about the Zoom controller is that you can customize it to do other things when you tap on it. For example, you can customize a single-tap, double-tap, and triple-tap. And you can even adjust the Zoom level by double tapping and sliding the controller. 

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
  3. Select Zoom.
  4. Tap Zoom Controller.
  5. Toggle Show Controller on.

You can also customize the color and opacity of the controller, so it doesn’t cover much on your screen. You can also show or hide the controller by triple tapping your screen with three fingers and then tapping Show Controller or Hide Controller from the Zoom menu.

Other Zoom Settings You Might Want to Try

Besides the settings we mentioned before, you can also tweak other things to customize Zoom however you like it. 

For instance, you can adjust the Maximum Zoom Level from the Settings app to fit your needs.

You can also add keyboard shortcuts if you’re using an external keyboard. If you’re using a pointer device, you’ll also have options to adjust the zoom with the pointer and see how the screen images move with the pointer. 

Another cool thing is that you can change the filters so the Zoom feature will adjust to what filter is best for your eyes. 

How to Add a Zoom to Your Accessibility Shortcuts

If you decide you want to use Zoom on a daily basis, you might be better off adding it to your Accessibility Shortcuts. That way, it’ll be easier to change settings or enable or disable Zoom to your liking. 

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down again and select Accessibility Shortcuts.
  4. Scroll down one more time and tap on Zoom.
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