How to Zoom the Screen on Android

You have no trouble viewing the screen of your Android device, but sometimes you squint and struggle with tiny text or small details.

What to do? Use Android’s triple-tap to magnify gesture.

This is actually an accessibility feature, but it’s very handy also for general use. Enable the gesture in the Android system settings under Settings > Accessibility > Magnification > Magnify with triple-tap > On.

Now, each time you can’t read or see something on the screen, triple-tap on it. Here’s what the tiny text of a street name in the Google Maps app looks like when magnified:

The Google Maps screen magnified with the triple-tap gesture plus pinching on a Pixel 2XL phone.
The Google Maps screen magnified with the triple-tap gesture plus pinching on my Pixel 2XL phone.

Android magnifies — effectively a digital zoom — whatever is at the spot you triple-tap on. Pinch to magnify even more. Drag with two fingers to scroll and pan. You know the screen is magnified because there’s an orange frame around the edges. Triple-tap again to turn off the magnification and go back to the default screen. Here are all the actions you can take:

The triple-tap to zoom magnification settings screen of Android 10 on a Pixel 2 XL phone.
The triple-tap to zoom magnification settings screen of Android 10 on my Pixel 2 XL phone.

This simple gesture makes my Android experience much better. Try it!

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