One of the coolest features Apple is bringing to its iPads and iPhones is the pinch-to-zoom gesture, which makes zooming in and out intuitive and natural. Previously, zoom functionality was either non-existent or difficult to use. Apple Zoom works in photos, web pages, and any app that supports the pinch-to-zoom gesture.
These instructions generally apply to all iPad and iPhone models running iPadOS 13 and later and iOS 13 and later.
To enlarge a photo or web page, press the screen with your index finger and thumb, leaving only a small space between the two fingers. Here are a few things to remember:
- Place your fingers and thumb on the screen, then move your fingers apart to widen the space between them.
- When your fingers spread apart, the screen will zoom in.
- To zoom out, do the opposite: move your thumb and index finger toward each other while holding down the screen.
Any two fingers can be used to zoom in and out on an iPhone or iPad, but for most people, the thumb and index finger make the most sense.
If this helps you remember, imagine holding a piece of paper between your fingers. If you drag your finger inward on a piece of paper, it folds up and becomes smaller. The same idea applies here.
In some cases, the pinch-to-zoom feature doesn't work. The application might not support the gesture, or the web page might have running code or stylesheet settings that prevent the page from expanding.
iPad accessibility features include zoom, which works whether you're in an app, on a web page, or viewing a photo.
This feature is not activated by default, so you must turn it on in the Settings app:
On the Home screen, open the Settings app.
Go to Accessibility > Zoom .
Click the Zoom toggle so it turns green and turn it on.
Once you activate the zoom feature on your iPad or iPhone, you'll immediately see the magnifying glass, as shown on iPad.
As you can see in this image, the zoom functionality is not captured in the screenshot.
Press and hold the anchor point/bar at the bottom of the zoom window, move it across the screen and see everything zoomed in. You can also hold and drag three fingers, which may be your first choice when using this tool to zoom on smaller screens like the iPhone.
Double-tap the screen with three fingers to enable or disable zoom. To disable it permanently, repeat the above steps and toggle Zoom to the off position.
From Accessibility > Zoom, you can access additional zoom options, such as increasing the maximum zoom level, choosing full-screen zoom instead of window zoom, selecting a zoom filter, and more.
