Over the break, I went out for a nice dinner with my family at a restaurant. And while I was there, I was very impressed to see my mum using the torch on her phone to help her read the menu in the “mood” lighting.
Now my mum is always the person I think of when I write these newsletters – she’s a self-confessed technophobe who often assumes that she won’t be able to learn anything remotely techy. So I was very proud to see her confidently whipping out her phone so she could decide what to eat.
It also reminded me of another feature that’s really handy in similar situations, which is called the Magnifier. Which, as you’ve probably guessed, works like a magnifying glass within your phone’s camera.
On Android phones, you’ll want to install the Google Magnifier app from the Play Store (or if your phone is a little older, the Magnifying Glass app by Pony Mobile will work just as well). On iPhones, you’ll have a built-in Magnifier app which you can find in the App Library by swiping across to the very last home screen and choosing the Magnifier app.
Both apps are pretty straightforward to use, you just open them and then point the camera at whatever you want to magnify. You can adjust the amount of magnification using the sliding scale at the bottom, or tapping on the + symbol to make it bigger and the – symbol to make it smaller.
You can also adjust the brightness of the screen (for if, say, you’re in a dimly-lit restaurant) by tapping on the Settings cog in the iPhone app and choosing Brightness, then using the scale with a sun icon. In the Google Magnifier app, tap on “Show controls”, then “Brightness”, then use the slider to adjust it.
Just to let you know since Christmas I had not received Kathryn’s great tips newsletter.
So i re signed again to receive it again.
Thanks so much.