How to use Zoom for accessibility on iPhone and iPad

Zoom is an accessibility feature that makes everything on your iPhone or iPad's screen bigger and much easier to read.

It defaults to 5x magnification but can be set from 1x to 15x, depending on your preference and needs. When zoomed in, all the regular gestures, like pinching, swiping, and tapping, will work the same, but you can pair it with VoiceOver for further assistance to those with visual impairments.

How to enable Zoom
How to enable/disable Follow Focus
How to enable/disable Smart Typing
How to enable/disable the Zoom Controller
How to change Zoom Controller visibility
How to change Zoom Region
How to change the Zoom Filter
How to change the Maximum Zoom Level

How to enable Zoom

Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.
Tap on General.
Tap on Accessibility.
Tap Zoom under the Vision section.
Tap the switch to turn on Zoom.

Once you've got Zoom enabled, you can use it on the fly. Here's how to use it:

Double tap with three fingers anywhere on the screen to enable and disable zoom. You can do this from pretty much anywhere.
Drag three fingers around the screen to pan around and move to another area of the screen.
Use one or two fingers to scroll in the particular section that is on the screen.
Tap and hold the anchor to drag the magnifying glass up and down the screen.

That's it! You're good to go! If you ever decide you don't like zoom enabled, you can easily disable it by following the same steps.

How to enable/disable Follow Focus

Follow Focus will make the Zoom window jump to the text you're typing and follow it along. With Follow Focus enabled, you won't be able to zoom in on the keyboard as you type.

Launch Settings from your Home screen.
Tap General.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Zoom.
Tap the switch next to Follow Focus to enable or disable it. Green is on, white/gray is off.

How to enable/disable Smart Typing

To enable smart typing, you must first enable Follow Focus.

Launch Settings from your Home screen.
Tap General.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Zoom.
Tap the switch next to Smart Typing. If there is no switch, it's because you don't have Follow Focus enabled.

How to enable/disable the Zoom Controller

The Zoom Controller is a little joystick of sorts that lets you quickly access the Zoom menu, pan around a zoomed-in part of the screen, and quickly zoom in and out. Here's how to turn it on:

Launch Settings from your Home screen.
Tap General.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Zoom.
Tap the switch next to Show Controller.

To use the Zoom Controller, double-tap it to zoom in and out; tap and hold it when zoomed in and drag your finger around the circle to move around the magnified area; tap it once to bring up Zoom settings.

How to change Zoom Controller visibility

You can control how transparent the Zoom Controller is when Show Controller is turned on.

Launch Settings from your Home screen.
Tap General.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Zoom.
Tap Idle Visibility.
Tap and hold on the slider and drag it to change the Controller visibility. Drag to the right to make it more visible; drag to the left to make it less so.

How to change Zoom Region

You can choose to zoom in on the whole screen or just within a movable window.

Launch Settings from your Home screen.
Tap General.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Zoom.
Tap Zoom Region.
Tap either Full Screen Zoom or Window Zoom.

How to change the Zoom Filter

If you need the colors inverted on the zoomed-in area or if you need grayscale or low light, you can activate those options and they'll only apply to what's in the Zoom area.