How to Use Your iPhone When You Can't See the Screen Clearly
By Joe ·
Apple has packed a lot of help into every iPhone for people who find the screen hard to read. These features are not add-ons you have to pay for, they are already on your phone, waiting to be switched on. Most people never find them because they live tucked away in a corner of Settings.
Here are five that make a genuine difference.
1. Make Text Bigger Across the Whole Phone
If the text on your screen is too small to read comfortably, you do not have to squint or hold the phone at arm’s length. You can increase the text size system-wide, so it affects every app at once.
How to do it:
- Open Settings
- Tap Accessibility
- Tap Display and Text Size
- Tap Larger Text
- Switch on Larger Accessibility Sizes, then drag the slider to the right to increase the size
Start modestly and adjust until it feels right. The change takes effect immediately, so you can see the result as you drag.
2. Switch on Bold Text
Bold text makes letters heavier and easier to distinguish, particularly on backgrounds that are not quite white or in poor lighting. It is a small change that makes a noticeable difference for many people.
How to do it:
- Open Settings
- Tap Accessibility
- Tap Display and Text Size
- Switch on Bold Text
Your phone will apply the change immediately. There is no restart required.
3. Use Display Zoom for a Bigger Screen Layout
Display Zoom makes everything on screen larger, not just the text. Icons, buttons, and menus all scale up, which is useful if tapping small targets is the main difficulty rather than reading.
How to do it:
- Open Settings
- Tap Accessibility
- Tap Display and Text Size
- Tap Display Zoom
- Select Larger Text and tap Done
Your phone will restart to apply the change. When it comes back on, everything will be slightly larger. You can switch back to Default the same way if you prefer.
4. Reduce Blue Light with Night Shift
Bright white screens can feel harsh, especially in dim rooms or in the evenings. Night Shift shifts the screen’s colours towards warmer tones, which many people find gentler on the eyes.
How to do it:
- Open Settings
- Tap Display and Brightness
- Tap Night Shift
- Switch on Manually Enable Until Tomorrow for an immediate change, or set a Scheduled time, for example, sunset to sunrise
You can also drag the Colour Temperature slider towards “More Warm” if you want a stronger effect. Some people leave this on all the time; others schedule it only for evenings.
5. Use Siri When Reading is Difficult
If the screen is hard to read in a particular moment, you do not have to struggle through it. Siri can handle many everyday tasks for you by voice, without any reading or tapping required.
Useful things to try:
- “Call [name]” to make a call without finding the contact yourself
- “Send a message to [name]” and then dictate the message
- “What’s the time?” or “What’s the weather tomorrow?” for quick spoken answers
- “Turn on my torch” without unlocking the screen
- “Read my notifications” to hear recent alerts read aloud
How to activate Siri: Press and hold the side button on your iPhone, or say “Hey Siri” if that is switched on. To check: Settings > Siri and Search > Listen for “Hey Siri.”
A Useful Shortcut: The Accessibility Settings Shortcut
All of the settings above live under Settings > Accessibility. It is worth bookmarking that section mentally, as Apple adds new tools there with every software update.
There is also a handy shortcut: go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and you can set it so that triple-clicking the side button toggles a chosen feature on and off quickly, without going back into Settings each time.
If you would like to go through any of these settings on your own phone, with a patient guide alongside you, that is exactly what we do in our one-to-one sessions across Hebden Bridge and the Calder Valley. Get in touch and we will set aside the time to get it right.