How to read small print with your phone
Medicine boxes, bills, letters, tiny buttons on the screen — here are three ways to make them readable.
On paper: use the camera as a magnifier
- Open the Magnifier
In Big Font, tap Tools, then Magnifier.
- Allow the camera
The first time, tap Allow the camera. It's only used while the Magnifier is open, and nothing is saved.
- Point and read
Hold the phone over the text. Zoom in, turn on the light in a dark room, or freeze the picture so you can hold it closer. High contrast makes faint print stand out.
Long letters: have them read to you
- Open Read paper
In Big Font, tap Tools, then Read paper.
- Take a photo
Photograph the letter, label or bill — or tap Photos to choose a picture you already have.
- Listen
The words appear in large type and are read out loud. Your last 10 papers are kept on the phone so you can read them again.
Lay the paper flat in good light and keep the whole page in the picture. The text is recognised on the phone itself — it isn't uploaded.
On the screen: zoom in
Android can magnify anything on the screen, like a magnifying glass you slide around.
Samsung Galaxy
- Open SettingsAccessibilityVision enhancementsMagnification (on older models: Visibility enhancements).
- Turn on the shortcut you prefer, such as triple-tapping the screen.
Google Pixel and most other phones
- Open SettingsAccessibilityMagnification
- Turn on Magnification shortcut.
Then use the shortcut to zoom in. Pinch with two fingers to change how much, and drag with two fingers to move around. Use the shortcut again to stop.
If everything on screen is hard to read, not only one app, start with making the text bigger — it's easier than zooming every time.
Have messages and pages read aloud to you.