Magnifier

Uses your phone's rear camera to enlarge small print such as medicine leaflets, receipts and the backs of product labels. It works in the browser when no magnifying glass is at hand, without installing an app.

How to use

1. Press "Turn on camera", allow camera access and point the camera at the text.
2. Zoom with the slider, the − and + buttons or a two-finger pinch, and drag to move around.
3. If your hand shakes, press "Freeze" and zoom into the still picture at your own pace. "Save frozen view" saves it as an image, and "Live view" goes back.
4. In dim light press "Flashlight"; for faint text choose "High contrast", "Black and white" or "Inverted" under "View". "Full screen" makes the picture larger.

How it works

• Zoom goes from 1× to 8×. If the camera has its own zoom, that is used first, and the rest is digital zoom on screen.
• The "Flashlight" button appears only on devices and browsers that allow a web page to turn it on. On a computer the tool uses the webcam.
• The camera picture never leaves your device. Only the zoom level and view are remembered in this browser.

Questions and answers

Can I use my phone as a magnifying glass?

Yes. Press "Turn on camera" on this page and the rear camera picture appears enlarged. Adding the page to your home screen lets you open it quickly when you need it.

Why does the picture get blurry when I zoom in?

Beyond the camera's own zoom range the zoom is digital, so detail is lost. Hold the camera a little further from the text so it can focus, and use "Freeze" if your hand shakes.

Why is there no flashlight button?

The button does not appear if the device or browser does not let a web page turn on the flashlight. Use brighter room light or "High contrast" instead.