The short answer: on an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text and drag the slider to the right. For even bigger text, turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes (Apple). On an Android phone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display size and text and move the Font size slider (Google). Apps that support these settings, such as Mail, Messages and Settings, change size right away.
iPhone: make the text larger
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size.
- Tap Larger Text and drag the slider until the sample text is comfortable to read.
- If you need it bigger still, turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes and drag the slider again (Apple).
On the newest iPhone software, you’ll also find Text Size and Bold Text under Settings > Appearance (Apple).
Other iPhone settings that help
- Bold Text: in the same Display & Text Size screen, turn on Bold Text to make letters thicker and easier to see (Apple).
- A quick text-size button: you can add the Text Size control to Control Center. Then you can make text bigger or smaller in the app you’re using without opening Settings (Apple).
- Display Zoom makes everything on the screen bigger, including icons and buttons, not just the words (Apple). On newer iPhone software, go to Settings > Appearance > Display Zoom, choose Larger Text, then tap Use Zoomed (Apple). On older versions it’s under Display & Brightness.
- Zoom magnifies part of the screen. Turn it on in Settings > Accessibility > Zoom, then double-tap the screen with three fingers to turn zooming on or off (Apple).
Android: make the text larger
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Accessibility, then Display size and text.
- Drag the Font size slider to the right. Android can make text up to twice its normal size (Google).
- To make buttons and icons bigger too, drag the Display size slider (Google).
On the same screen you can turn on Bold text and High contrast text, or tap Reset settings to go back to normal (Google). There’s also a Font Size tile you can add to Quick Settings. A few apps ignore your phone’s text size, so they may still look small (Google).
Samsung Galaxy phones may put this setting in a different place. If you don’t see it under Accessibility, open Settings, tap the search icon and type font size.
If the text is still hard to read
- Turn up the screen brightness in Control Center (iPhone) or Quick Settings (Android).
- On most websites you can spread two fingers apart on the screen to zoom in.
- On a computer, see How to make text larger on your computer. If you’re shopping for a new phone, see the easiest phones for seniors with bad eyesight.
