Ranking updated
Magnifier apps: read small print with your phone camera
A phone camera makes a good magnifying glass. Magnifier from Apple on iPhone and Magnifier from Google on Pixel phones zoom in, adjust contrast and help with small text. Magnifying Glass + Flashlight works on iPhone and Android, and Magnifier Plus with Flashlight on iPhone adds text recognition.
How we chose: free magnifier apps from Apple and Google and two independent apps from registered developers, with features taken from each app’s store description.
Start with the magnifier from your phone maker
Apple and Google both make a free magnifier. On iPhone it is Magnifier from Apple, and on Pixel phones it is Magnifier from Google on Google Play. Both are built for people with low vision, so they go further than simple zoom with contrast, filters and help with text.
Apple Magnifier on iPhone
Magnifier enlarges nearby objects and text. You can change brightness and contrast, apply colour filters, turn on the torch and freeze one or more frames to look at them closely. There is a high contrast, large text interface for low vision, and a document view where you frame a page, drag the corners to fix the angle and read the text in an easier format. On devices with Apple Intelligence you can ask it questions about what the camera sees.
Google Magnifier on Pixel
Magnifier from Google uses the camera to enlarge small text and details, or text far away such as street signs and menus behind a counter. You can search for a word before or after taking a picture to find it on a menu or a departure board, apply effects to make low contrast text easier to see and take photos to zoom in as much as you need. Brightness adjusts on its own in low light. The listing says it needs a Pixel 5 or later.
Magnifying glass apps with a flashlight
Magnifying Glass + Flashlight by RV AppStudios is a simple magnifier with an LED torch for restaurant menus, medicine bottles and serial numbers on the back of a TV or fridge. It focuses on text by itself, zooms from 1x to 8x on Android, has a negative mode and saves pictures. Magnifier Plus with Flashlight by DigitAlchemy on iPhone and iPad zooms with the camera, turns on the flashlight, freezes and shares a frame, recognises text and adds filters.
Which one to choose
iPhone, start with Apple Magnifier. A Pixel phone, Google Magnifier. Another Android phone, Magnifying Glass + Flashlight. On iPhone with text recognition, Magnifier Plus with Flashlight. To save a page rather than read it once, see document scanner apps, and for tired eyes after reading, eye exercise apps.
| App | Platform | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Apple MagnifierApp Store | iPhone, iPad | brightness, contrast, colour filters, torch, freeze frames, document reading view |
| Google MagnifierGoogle Play | Pixel 5 or later | zoom on text far away, search words in a picture, visual effects for low contrast |
| Magnifying Glass + FlashlightApp StoreGoogle Play | iPhone and Android | zoom up to 8x on Android, LED torch, negative mode, save pictures |
| Magnifier Plus with FlashlightApp Store | iPhone, iPad | zoom, flashlight, freeze and share, text recognition, filters |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a magnifier on iPhone?
Yes. Apple makes Magnifier, a free app in the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
Which magnifier works on any Android phone?
Google Magnifier needs a Pixel 5 or later. On other Android phones, Magnifying Glass + Flashlight is on Google Play.
Can a magnifier app read text?
Apple Magnifier has a document reading view, Google Magnifier searches for words in a picture and Magnifier Plus with Flashlight mentions text recognition.