How to use Magnifier

Steps, videos and tips for the app and its tools.

Make small print bigger with the camera, hold it still and choose the colors you find easiest to read.

Watch how it works.

Video coming soon

Getting started

Open the Magnifier

Allow camera access when asked. Point at printed text or a small object and leave enough distance for the camera to focus.

This is a still image. The how-to video has not been recorded yet.

Read the steps

Basics

Step by step.

Get started

  1. Open the Magnifier

    Allow camera access when asked. Point at printed text or a small object and leave enough distance for the camera to focus.

  2. Choose a reading view

    Open Views and pick Normal, Negative, Grayscale or High contrast. In High contrast, choose the print and paper colors you prefer. Inspection views and other extras are marked Pro.

Measure

  1. Zoom and add light

    Spread two fingers, use the zoom control or press the volume keys if they are set to Zoom. Tap Light for dim print.

  2. Read, find or copy text

    Read aloud speaks recognized text, and Find a word marks matches on the picture. Copy text keeps the recognized words. These tools and translation use their available Pro features and language options.

  3. Freeze the picture

    Tap Freeze to hold the picture still. Spread and drag to inspect it, double-tap to fit it again, and tap Live to return to the camera.

  4. Set up your controls

    Settings includes Screen layout, Start zoom, Light on at start, Volume keys and Keep the screen on. The app remembers the layout and settings you choose.

  5. Learn with Tour & lessons

    Open Tour & lessons from the Magnifier menu or Settings. The Tour and Showroom demonstrate features; Lessons use your camera, keep no practice saves and restore your settings afterward.

Save

  1. Save and share

    Freeze, then Save keeps the picture in Saved. Tap Open on the saved message to find it, or use Share to send the frozen view. Saved also offers names, search and exports where your plan allows.

Guided tour

Try these steps in the app. All tour instructions stay readable here.

  1. Make the print bigger

    Aim at a label and zoom until the print fills a useful part of the picture.

  2. Hold and change the view

    Freeze the picture, try a reading view and move around it without moving the phone.

  3. Keep it for later

    Save the frozen picture and open Saved to look at it again.

Tool guides.

Each tool in Magnifier has its own guide.

Magnifier

Tips.

Move slightly farther from the page if the camera will not focus, then zoom. Enlarging a blurred frame cannot restore its missing detail.

Freeze a sharp picture before moving around it; spread to enlarge, drag to inspect and double-tap to fit it again.

Try Negative, Grayscale or High contrast and choose the print and paper colors that are easiest for you to read.

Use Light for dim print, but change the phone angle if glossy packaging reflects the light back into the lens.

Set Volume keys to Zoom or Freeze/Live when that control is easier to reach than the screen.

Save the frozen picture and use Open on the saved message to check it in Saved immediately.

Check recognized and translated wording against the picture when accuracy matters. Read aloud and text tools depend on the app’s available Pro features and language support.

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