You can enlarge the text and icons on your phone, but what if you don't want everything to be huge? all the time? Android has a practical tool that allows you to zoom in on the screen whenever you want.
Android devices include a set of accessibility tools that you may not be familiar with. One of those tools is called “Extension”. It's a gesture / shortcut that enables you to zoom in when there may be something you need help to see. It's only there when you need it.
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To start, swipe down once or twice, according to your phone, to display the Quick Settings menu. Select the gear icon to go to system settings.
Scroll down and tap “Accessibility”.
Now select “Extension”. On a Samsung device, must go to “Visibility improvements” before viewing the Magnification tool.
Turn on the switch to enable the “Expansion shortcut”.
This is where things will vary based on your device and Android version.. Android 12 introduced a visible magnification shortcut that floats on the edge of the screen.
Older versions of Android have a two-finger gesture to show zoom modes. Just swipe up from the bottom of the screen with two fingers.
Some devices also have a menu “Type of extension”, which gives you the option to choose excuse me the screen will zoom.
Whether you have the shortcut or the two-finger gesture, there are a number of other gestures you will need to know after using it.
Let's say you want to zoom in on the screen and interact with it while it's zoomed in.:
- Start enlargement with shortcut or gesture.
- Touch the screen.
- Drag 2 fingers to move around the screen.
- Pinch with 2 fingers to adjust zoom.
- Use the shortcut / gesture to stop enlargement.
Alternatively, if you just want to quickly zoom in on something, you can do it this way:
- Start enlargement with shortcut or gesture.
- Long press anywhere on the screen.
- Drag your finger to move around the screen.
- Lift your finger to stop zooming.
Note: Temporary zoom gesture only works with magnification type “Full screen”.
This is a great tool to know if you sometimes have trouble seeing things on the screen but don't want to commit to a giant user interface full time.. Android has many accessibility tools if you know where to look for them.
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