How to Make Text Bigger on iPhone

If the text on your iPhone feels too small to read comfortably, you're not alone. It's one of the most common things older adults want to change — and the good news is it takes less than a minute to fix.

This guide works on every iPhone — from iPhone 6 right through to the latest iPhone 17. We'll show you two ways to make text bigger, so you can choose whichever works best for you.

💡 Quick tip: Making text bigger on your iPhone affects most apps — including Messages, WhatsApp, emails, Safari and many others. It's one of the most useful changes you can make.

Method 1 — Change the text size in Settings

This is the main way to make text bigger across your whole iPhone. Follow these steps:

Open Settings

Find the grey icon with cogs on your home screen and tap it. This opens your iPhone settings.

💡 Can't find Settings? Swipe down from the middle of your screen and type "Settings" in the search bar that appears.

Tap Accessibility

Scroll down the Settings list until you see Accessibility and tap it. This section contains all the options for making your iPhone easier to use.

Tap Display & Text Size

Inside Accessibility, tap Display & Text Size. This is where all the text and display options live.

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Tap Larger Text
Tap Larger Text at the top of the list. You'll see a slider that you can drag to the right to make text bigger. The further right you drag it the larger the text becomes. You'll see a preview at the top of the screen as you move the slider.
💡 If you want even larger text, turn on the switch at the top that says "Larger Accessibility Sizes" — this unlocks extra large text sizes.

That's it — you're done!

Press the Home button or swipe up from the bottom to go back to your home screen. You'll notice the text throughout your iPhone is now bigger and easier to read.

Method 2 — Use the Control Centre shortcut

Once you've set this up you can change the text size much faster without going into Settings every time. Here's how to add a text size shortcut to your Control Centre:

Open Settings and go to Control Centre

Open Settings then tap Control Centre. This is where you can add shortcuts to your Control Centre panel.

Add Text Size

Scroll down until you see Text Size with a green plus button next to it. Tap the green plus button to add it to your Control Centre.

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Open Control Centre to use it
Now whenever you want to change the text size just open Control Centre — swipe down from the top right corner on Face ID iPhones, or swipe up from the bottom on older iPhones with a Home button. Tap the text size icon (looks like a small and large letter A) and drag the slider to adjust.

How to make text even bigger — Display Zoom

If the text is still too small even on the largest setting, there's another option called Display Zoom which makes everything on screen bigger — not just the text.

Go to Settings → Display & Brightness

Open Settings and tap Display & Brightness.

Tap Display Zoom

Scroll down and tap Display Zoom. You'll see two options — Default and Larger Text. Tap Larger Text then tap Set in the top right corner.

💡 Your iPhone will restart to apply the change. This is normal — it only takes a few seconds.

Making text bigger in specific apps

WhatsApp has its own text size setting separate from your iPhone settings. Open WhatsApp → tap Settings (bottom right) → Chats → Font Size → choose Large or Extra Large.

Safari (web browser)

When reading a website in Safari, tap the AA button on the left side of the address bar at the top. You'll see options to make the text on that page bigger or smaller. Tap the larger A to increase the size.

Messages

Messages uses your iPhone's main text size setting — so if you've followed Method 1 above, Messages text should already be bigger.

⚠️ Note: Not every app responds to the iPhone text size setting. Some apps — particularly banking apps and games — have their own fixed text sizes that can't be changed from Settings. If an app's text still looks small after following this guide, check inside the app itself for a text size or accessibility option.

What if the text is now too big?

No problem — just follow Method 1 again and drag the slider back to the left to make the text smaller. You can adjust it as many times as you like until it feels right for you.

What's the best iPhone for older adults?

If you're thinking about getting a new iPhone, we've put together a guide to the best phones for older adults in the UK — including which models are easiest to read and use.

→ Read our guide: Best phones for elderly parents UK 2026

How to Make Text Bigger on iPhone — A Simple Step by Step Guide