My friend Barb was ready to buy a brand-new phone. "The words are too tiny, Cindy. I hold it out, I bring it in, I put my glasses on, I take them off. This phone is just too small for me." She'd already priced one at Best Buy that cost more than her first car.
So before she spent a dime, I asked if I could borrow her phone for one minute. I opened Settings, found the text size slider, and slid it to the right. Her messages, her email, and her contacts all got bigger right in front of her. She put her hand over her mouth and said, "Well, why didn't anybody tell me?"
So I'm telling you. Needing bigger text isn't a problem with your eyes or your phone. It's a setting, and it takes about a minute.
How do I make the text bigger on an iPhone?
Here's how, in plain words. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then Text Size, and drag the slider to the right until the sample text looks comfortable. On that same screen you can turn on Bold Text, which makes everything easier to read at a glance.
Need it even bigger? Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then Larger Text. Turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes, and a bigger slider appears. Apple's text size guide has pictures of each screen.
How do I make the text bigger on an Android phone?
On an Android phone, open Settings, type "Font size" in the search bar at the top, and drag the slider to the right. Then search "Display size," which makes buttons, icons, and text bigger all together. That's wonderful for tapping the right thing the first time. Google's page on changing text and display settings shows the steps, including how to turn on bold text.
Menus look a little different on Samsung and other brands, so that search bar in Settings is your best friend.
Why is some text still small after I change the setting?
Some apps have their own text size controls and don't follow your phone's setting. Google even notes that the font size setting doesn't apply to some apps. Web browsers, email apps, and reading apps are the usual culprits. Look for a text size or zoom option inside that app, often under a menu with three dots or the letters "Aa."
In plain words, after you change the size, test the apps you use most. Read a recent text in Messages. Open a long email. Visit a website in your browser and look for "Aa" or a zoom option if it's still small. And open your pharmacy or bank app to make sure the buttons still fit and nothing gets cut off. If a button gets hidden, slide the setting back one notch.
For a quick close look at anything, spread two fingers apart on the screen to zoom in on photos and most web pages.
What if reading is still hard even with bigger text?
Your phone can read things out loud to you, which is a real gift on tired-eye days. I explained how in my post on the free feature that reads your screen out loud. And if words on the TV are the trouble, here's how to turn on captions.
If your eyesight has changed quickly, or text looks blurry no matter what size it is, please see your eye doctor. Settings help with small print. They can't fix a vision problem.
What Barb did with the money
Barb never bought that new phone. She kept the one she had, with the text two sizes bigger and Bold Text turned on. With the money she saved, she bought new tomato cages for her garden and treated our walking group to pie. She says it was the best phone upgrade she never paid for.
Take good care of yourself, and take even better care of each other.
Have you made the text bigger on your phone yet? Tell me in the comments, and share this with a friend who's still squinting.
