Guide
iOS Magnifier and low vision accessibility
An overview of the built-in iOS Magnifier and low vision accessibility settings.
After years of sharing about the iOS Magnifier and low vision accessibility features built into it, I finally decided that it deserves its own post! As a user with low vision who primarily accesses information visually/with large print, I often use video magnifiers and similar magnification tools for accessing visual information at a distance, enlarging too-small text or viewing details of objects. In these situations, I don’t necessarily need someone (or something) to tell me what I am looking at, rather I am looking for something that can augment my usable vision and provide me with the tools I need to access something visually. Here is an overview of iOS Magnifier and low vision accessibility, and how I use it on my iPad with low vision.
Overview of Magnifier app
Magnifier is a built-in application that allows users to turn their device’s camera into a video magnifier that can be used to view information and objects within the user’s environment. Like most video magnifying devices, Magnifier allows users to customize contrast, color filters, magnification levels and even freeze an image without saving it to the camera roll. This is different than Zoom, which is a screen magnifier that enlarges content on the device itself.
How to enable Magnifier for iOS and iPad
Before using Magnifier for the first time, users will need to download the official Magnifier app from the App Store if it is not already on their device. Magnifier is developed by Apple and is 100% free to use. Magnifier can then be added to the home screen or as part of the Accessibility Shortcuts menu.
Related links
- Magnifier on the App Store (apple.com)
- Zoom Magnifier and Low Vision
- Customize Accessibility Settings For Specific Apps
- Enabling Temporary Accessibility Settings For iPad
Customize iOS Magnifier for low vision accessibility
When opening the Magnifier app, the default view is a live view of the device’s back camera, which can be positioned in front of or above an area of interest. Custom settings can be configured within the Settings menu in the Magnifier app, which includes adding, hiding or rearranging features so they are easier to see, though some features may be hidden by default in iOS 18.
Magnifier offers the following customization settings for viewing information, including:
Adjust magnification power
To adjust the magnification power, users can drag or select the plus and minus buttons to increase or decrease the magnification power with a zoom slider. The zoom increments range from 0% (normal camera view with no zoom) to 100%, which is equivalent to 10x magnification.
Increase or decrease brightness/contrast
One option for making visual information easier to see is to adjust the brightness and/or contrast settings of the display using the corresponding sliders, which are accessed by selecting the sun icon (brightness) or black/white circle icon (contrast). Once the desired settings have been configured, users can select the sun icon/circle icon again to hide the slider and save desired settings.
Apply display filter or tint screen
To improve the visibility or contrast of information, Magnifier provides the following display filters/color tints for viewing information within the Magnifier app. These can also be applied for captures/freeze frames, but the color filters are not saved to the camera roll. To configure display filters, select the filters icon, which has three intersecting circles, and select the icon again to hide the view options and use the selected filter.
Options for display filters/color filters include:
- No filter (natural color)
- Grayscale
- Red on black
- Yellow on black
- Yellow on blue
- White on blue
- Inverted
- Black on red
- Black on yellow
- Blue on yellow
- Blue on white
Within the Magnifier settings menu, users can select which filters they would like to have visible in this list- all filters are visible by default.
Capture/freeze frame
Known as Freeze Frame in earlier versions, Capture takes a picture/still image of the current Magnifier view. In this display mode, users can activate the following settings:
- Customize or edit brightness/contrast
- Add or change display filters/color tint
- Increase or decrease magnification by zooming in or zooming out with the slider or by using the pinch-to-zoom gesture
- Activate Reader to view text (more in the next section)
- Close and return to Magnifier. In iOS 18, the saved captures will appear as a “bubble” in the corner of the screen if the user wants to view the content again, though selecting X will permanently delete the captures.
By default, captures are not saved to the camera roll. In iOS 18, users can open the Share Sheet to save captures to their camera roll or share with another application.
Switch cameras
By default, Magnifier shows a live view of the device’s back camera. If desired, users can switch to the front camera by selecting the Switch Cameras button, which may need to be enabled/added in Magnifier settings.
Capture mode/multi-photo mode
Capture Mode/Multi-Photo Mode allows users to take multiple captures and apply additional display settings to each individual image. Captures are not saved to the camera roll, but iOS 18 users can activate the Share Sheet to save individual captures if desired.
Focus lock
Focus lock will lock the magnifier focus into place to make it easier to focus the camera and area of interest. Tapping on another area of the screen will turn the focus lock off and change the magnifier focus.
Flashlight
On supported devices, this will turn on the back camera flashlight to provide additional lighting within a space.
Activities
Activities provides the option to save current display configurations for later use, which can include display filters, brightness/contrast settings, and the zoom level. For example, if a user has specific settings they use to read classroom signs, they could save these display settings as an activity so they could quickly activate these settings in Magnifier without having to configure everything manually.
Image descriptions/detection mode
Detection Mode (also known as image descriptions) provides a live description of information detected within the camera view as text labels displayed with Dynamic Text or as self-voicing speech/audio output (which can also be used with VoiceOver). This is helpful for generating descriptions of surrounding areas, recognizing objects, or providing other visual information.
Examples of information that Detection Mode can recognize includes:
- Scenes. This can include environmental objects, text, furniture, doors, etc.
- Text, including reading text out loud or displaying in large print. In iOS 18, a flashlight can be automatically turned on for ten seconds to illuminate surroundings in dark environments
- Point and Speak, which detects and describes information positioned above or below the user’s finger, such as text or objects. This should not be used for navigation or for circumstances where the user could be harmed or injured.
- Text in other languages. This does not translate text but can be useful for displaying content outside of the device’s default language.
For iOS 18, users can select which Detect mode they would like to use by long-pressing on the Detect icon and selecting Scenes, Text or Point & Speak.
For select iPhone models, there are additional detection settings available for detecting people, furniture and doors, including identifying where they are located, how far away they are and providing basic descriptive information. I have not personally used this feature since I don’t have an iPhone, but additional information can be found on the Apple website.
Related links
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
- Get live descriptions of visual information around you with Magnifier on iPhone – Apple Support
Reading text with Magnifier for iOS
There are two options for reading text with Magnifier for iOS. Text Detection can be used to read text out loud or display large print versions of environmental text, while Reader is used to display text detected within a capture. Both technologies are powered by optical character recognition (OCR) and are not a replacement for providing accessible text due to the potential for errors. Reader Text also cannot be copied/pasted into another application.
The following customization options are available for Reader, which can be configured by opening Reader settings within Magnifier, which is located in the lower right corner and features an Aa icon.
Listen
Listen to text read out loud with text-to-speech, with options for pausing and rewinding content. There is also an option for adjusting the reading rate up to 2x speed, increased/decreased in increments of 0.25x.
Page colors
Reader applies a consistent page color and text color to assist with making text easier to read. Options include:
- White background with black text
- Sepia background with black text
- Dark gray background with white text
- Black background with white text
- Custom background color with custom text color. Colors can be chosen from a grid, eyedropper tool, color spectrum, or RGB/HEX value with custom opacity.
Font
Text displayed in Reader is also displayed in a consistent font style. Options include a mix of serif and sans serif system fonts, such as:
- Copperplate
- Savoye
- Avenir
- Trebuchet
- Menlo
- Courier
- Helvetica
- Times New Roman
- Seravek
- San Francisco
- Palatino
- Iowan
- Georgia
- Charter
- Athelas
Related links
Using iOS Magnifier with Live Recognition
If VoiceOver is turned on, Live Recognition provides users with the option to choose what type(s) of content they would like information about, double-tapping to enable or hide a particular category. To enable Live Recognition, triple-tap with four fingers and position the camera in an area of interest, and then triple-tap with four fingers again to turn it off. Live Recognition is separate from the VoiceOver recognition feature that is used for web interfaces, and does not open the Magnifier app.
If VoiceOver is turned off, Live Recognition is a Control Center/Accessibility Shortcut option that quickly opens Magnifier to open Detection Mode, which can be activated by either selecting the icon or double-tapping on the screen. Users can then select which type(s) of content they would like information about by long-pressing on the Detection Mode icon and selecting items from a list. Users can indicate if they prefer speech output, text output/label or both for different categories of content.
Related links
- How To Use VoiceOver With Low Vision
- Enabling Temporary Accessibility Settings For iPad
- Customize Accessibility Settings For Specific Apps
How I personally use the iOS Magnifier on my iPad
I have the Magnifier app on my iPad on my home screen, as well as enabled within the Control Center and Accessibility Shortcuts menu so I can open it within other applications. While I don’t use Magnifier while walking since I need to hold the iPad with two hands, here are some examples of how I personally use Magnifier with low vision:
Quickly applying display filters to content
Bright white backgrounds are disorienting for me to look at, and can make it challenging to read text especially when I am dealing with eye fatigue. With Magnifier, I can quickly add a display filter or color tint to content to remove the harsh white background, or enable a simplified reading display for printed materials.
Finding something that fell on the ground
What just fell? Did the cat knock something over? If I’m on the other side of the room and hear something fall on the ground, I can open Magnifier and either zoom in on the ground or use the scene detection tool to get a description of objects in the surrounding area, which can be helpful for locating low-contrast items or pinpointing the location of something before I stand up.
Reading instructions on the back of a box
If I’m making a recipe and already have it open on my iPad, I can quickly open Magnifier to zoom in on ingredients labels or other instructions on the back of a box. Since a lot of product packaging is not designed with high contrast text access in mind, I can also adjust the brightness/contrast to make text easier to see without relying on OCR to read content out loud.
Enlarging notes or other text content
If I want to enlarge physical copies of text but don’t necessarily want to save it for later, I can open Magnifier and use Freeze Frame/Capture to take a picture of content and add additional display filters/zoom in or out to make it easier to read. This would be helpful for enlarging text in a classroom setting, and I typically use it for enlarging cards or handwritten notes that are on my desk.
Related links
- Paper Colors And Low Vision
- How I Use My Phone As Assistive Technology In Class
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
More resources on iOS Magnifier and low vision accessibility
- Need a way to enlarge text content for iOS applications? I recommend reading How To Use Hover Text For iPad With Low Vision
- Looking for an even more powerful magnification option? I share a few DIY options that use device cameras in my post Choosing Accessible Microscopes For Low Vision
- Interested in no-tech magnification options? Read Magnifying Glasses For Low Vision
- Want to learn more about using Apple and iOS devices with low vision? Browse Apple And iOS Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
Published September 2024.
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