Among the new features in iOS 10 is one that is going to be helpful to those who have trouble reading small text.
When an operating system is released, some of the major features get showcased while others are swept aside and left for people to discover on their own. The same situation happened when iOS 10 was released, with attention focused on major bugs - hackers even found a vulnerability that made iTunes backups accessible. However, recent news about the latest OS for Apple's mobile devices has been more positive with a hidden Magnifier feature being discovered.
This particular feature for increasing the size of printed text for easier reading was reported by 9to5Mac, which said that the feature converts the iPhone's camera into a magnifying glass. It also pointed out that once the feature is in use, it comes with a customized UI that helps users either increase the magnification or decrease it.
How To Use The 'Hidden' Magnifier
Of course, users will have to navigate to the settings menu in iOS 10 and turn the feature on before they can start using it.
These are the steps to follow to enable the feature.
• Access the Settings app that is available in the home screen.
• Navigate to "General," select it, then tap the "Accessibility" tab.
• In the next screen navigate to "Magnifier" and slide the button until it's enabled.
• Enable the optional "Auto Brightness" option to adjust contrast and brightness according to ambient light.
Meanwhile, below are tips on activating and using the Magnifier.
• Clicking thrice on an iPhone's home button will result in the Magnifier being activated if it has already been enabled.
• Use the camera to magnify an area of text.
• In the customized UI, slide the button to the left to increase text size and to the right to decrease it.
• Users can lock focus or adjust colors when this feature is in use.
• Users can invert colors once a frame of text has been snapped and zoomed into. Colors can be adjusted by selecting options such as Yellow/Blue or White/Blue, and brightness and contrast can be increased or decreased until the text on the screen is clearly visible to the naked eye.
With this particular feature, Apple wants to ensure that people with impaired vision could have an easier time reading labels. This feature wasn't demanded by many and not present on any wish list, so it's clear that Apple wants visually impaired mobile device users to have an advantage when using their iPhones and feels it's time the feature is added to its OS.
