- Android 15 is adding a two-finger double-tap screen gesture that magnifies the screen.
- The operating system’s built-in magnification feature can already be launched through an on-screen button, volume key press, or triple tap of the screen.
- The other options take longer to invoke, take up screen space, or, in the case of the triple-tap gesture, slow down your device.
Android is used by billions of people worldwide, so it’s no wonder that accessibility is a key concern for Google. The company has developed several accessibility tools for its mobile operating system, including the Android Accessibility Suite, which offers a built-in select-to-speak function, a screen reader tool, additional navigation options, and more. Google also baked several accessibility features right into the OS, such as text and display scaling, color correction, and screen magnification. Screen magnification can currently be activated in one of three ways, though a fourth option is being added in the upcoming Android 15 update.
Screen magnification — not to be confused with the Pixel-exclusive Magnifier app, which allows you to use the camera to see real-world objects that are small or far away — is a native feature of the Android operating system that zooms in on the screen to make elements easier to see. It’s found under Settings > Accessibility > Magnification (at least on Pixel devices) and can be set up to magnify either the entire screen or a specific area of interest. It’s an especially nifty tool for anyone who has difficulty seeing, which is why Android offers a couple of methods to activate it on demand.