One of the quickest ways to improve readability is by increasing the text size on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text. Toggle on "Larger Accessibility Sizes," and use the slider to find your ideal text size. This adjustment affects text across most apps, making emails, messages and websites much easier to read without straining your eyes. The beauty of this feature is you can also adjust it gradually over time as your vision needs change.
Adding weight to text can significantly improve visibility. Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on "Bold Text." This simple change makes all text throughout your iPhone appear thicker and more defined, creating better contrast that helps aging eyes distinguish letters more easily. Bold text is particularly helpful for reading longer passages or when dealing with fonts that tend to be naturally thin or light.
Your iPhone lets you magnify everything on screen with Display Zoom. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > View and select "Zoomed" instead of "Standard." This enlarges icons, text and controls throughout your device without changing any other settings. Display zoom is different from simply increasing text size because it magnifies all elements on your screen, including apps, photos and navigation buttons.
Background transparency effects can make text harder to read. To improve contrast, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on "Reduce Transparency." This setting makes backgrounds solid instead of see-through, so text stands out more clearly against the background. The result is a more defined interface that's easier to navigate and read.
Better contrast makes boundaries between elements more distinct. Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on "Increase Contrast." This enhances the difference between foreground and background colors throughout your iPhone, making buttons and text borders more noticeable. This setting subtly darkens text while lightening backgrounds and adds definition to buttons, form fields and toggles. Combined with reduced transparency, it creates a visual environment that's much easier to process.
Dark mode provides welcome relief from bright screens. Enable it by going to Settings > Display & Brightness and selecting "Dark." This inverts your display colors, which can reduce glare and eyestrain, especially in low-light environments. You can schedule dark mode to activate automatically at sunset or at a specific time of your choosing. This mode is particularly beneficial for users with certain eye conditions like cataracts or macular degeneration because it reduces the overall brightness while maintaining readability.
Your iPhone has a powerful magnification tool that works like a digital magnifying glass. Enable it in Settings > Accessibility > Zoom. Once activated, double-tap with three fingers anywhere on screen to magnify that area. You can adjust the zoom level by double-tapping with three fingers and dragging up or down without lifting your fingers after the second tap. You can also add zoom controls to the Accessibility Shortcut for quick access. The zoom feature offers several viewing options:
Your iPhone includes a dedicated Magnifier app that turns your device into a digital magnifying glass. Find it in your App Library or add it to your Home Screen for easy access. The magnifier uses your camera to enlarge whatever you point it at, with controls for brightness, contrast, filters and freezing images for closer inspection. Many of our residents use this app for reading restaurant menus, prescription bottles, price tags and other small print encountered in daily life.
When reading becomes difficult, let your iPhone do the talking. Set up voice control by going to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control. This powerful feature lets you navigate your device, open apps and dictate text using just your voice, reducing the need to read small text on screen. Voice control goes far beyond basic commands. It creates a comprehensive system for operating your device hands-free.
Apple's virtual assistant can be invaluable for those with vision challenges. Enable "Hey Siri" in Settings > Siri & Search to activate Siri with just your voice. You can ask Siri to do things like read text messages or web pages, make calls and set reminders, all without needing to see the screen. Many residents find that combining Siri with the iPhone's VoiceOver screen reader creates a robust system for accessing digital information regardless of visual acuity.
Technology should adapt to our needs as we age, not the other way around. These accessibility features transform your iPhone from a potentially frustrating device into an invaluable tool that works with your changing vision. At LifeStream at Youngtown, we're dedicated to helping our residents maintain their independence and quality of life through technology education. Contact us today to set up a tour.
