<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">From New Your Times Tech section...<div></div><div><br></div><div><h1 class="title" style="font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.2em; -webkit-hyphens: manual; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; max-width: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 28px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Using Android to Zoom In for a Closer Look</span></h1><div class="metadata singleline" style="-webkit-hyphens: manual; margin-top: -0.65em; margin-bottom: 1.45em; line-height: 1.6em; max-width: 100%;"><h6 class="date" style="margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-weight: normal !important; display: inline !important; font-size: 28px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">June 14, 2017</h6></div><figure style="margin: 1.4em 0px; max-width: 100%; line-height: 1.5em;"><figcaption style="max-width: 100%; margin-top: 1em; width: 339px; font-weight: bold;"><p style="max-width: 100%; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tech Tip</span></p><p style="max-width: 100%; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By J. D. BIERSDORFER</span></p></figcaption></figure><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">Q. </strong><em style="max-width: 100%;">I read your </em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/technology/personaltech/use-phone-as-digital-magnifying-glass.html" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;"><em style="max-width: 100%;">recent answer</em></a><em style="max-width: 100%;"> to a question regarding the magnifier on iPhones. I’m visually impaired, and this helps me and many others, but I have an Android smartphone and tablet. I cannot afford Apple, so what magnifying options are available for Android? </em></span></p><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong style="max-width: 100%;">A. </strong>Android apps and system software can vary based on the hardware and the manufacturer, so check the settings to see if your device includes any specialty apps. For example, Samsung includes a magnifier widget in some versions of Galaxy smartphones. If your <a href="https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6006564?hl=en" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;">current version</a> of the Android operating system does not have an integrated magnifying-glass tool, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=magnifier&c=apps&hl=en" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;">dozens of third-party magnifiers and screen-zoom apps</a>are available in the Google Play store.</span></p><div style="max-width: 100%;"><div style="max-width: 100%;"><div style="max-width: 100%;"><span class="converted-anchor" style="max-width: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="https://cdn1.nyt.com/images/2017/06/15/technology/personaltech/15techtipwebART/15techtipwebART-articleLarge.jpg" data-src="https://cdn1.nyt.com/images/2017/06/15/technology/personaltech/15techtipwebART/15techtipwebART-articleLarge.jpg" data-lightbox-image-url="https://cdn1.nyt.com/images/2017/06/15/technology/personaltech/15techtipwebART/15techtipwebART-superJumbo.jpg" class="extendsBeyondTextColumn" style="max-width: none; margin: 0.5em auto; display: block; height: auto; width: 375px; -webkit-margin-start: -18px;"></span></div></div><span style="max-width: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><p style="max-width: 100%;">Cozy Magnifier & Microscope is one of the many magnifying-glass apps available for Android devices in the Google Play store. The free version, shown here, displays advertisements. The $1.99 version removes the ads and includes additional features.</p><p style="max-width: 100%;">The New York Times</p></span></div><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The design and the controls may differ slightly, but many of these apps work the same way: Once you open the app, the software uses your gadget’s camera (and sometimes the light from its flash) to enlarge text or objects. You can use controls like zoom or freeze to get an even better view.</span></p><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With so many to choose from, selecting a magnifying app may seem overwhelming, but <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hantor.CozyMag&hl=en" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;">Cozy Magnifier & Microscope</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.magnifier&hl=en" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;">Smart Magnifier</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mmapps.mobile.magnifier&hl=en" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;">Magnifier</a> are among the more highly rated ones in the store. Expect any magnifier app to request permission to use your device’s camera, photo album and other files.</span></p><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span data-iframe="//www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/25/technology/100000003820245.embedded.html" data-lazy="yes" data-min-width="300" style="max-width: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></p><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Windows Phone users can try the free <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/microsoft-pocket-magnifier/9wzdncrfj3dv" style="text-decoration: none; max-width: 100%;">Microsoft Pocket Magnifier</a> app or one of the competing tools available to download in the Windows Store.</span></p><p style="max-width: 100%;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some apps are free, and some cost a small amount of money — typically less than $3. Free apps are usually supported by advertisements on the screen, so a paid app may be well worth the money to avoid such distractions. In lieu of a specialized app, some people prefer to just take a photo and use the device’s pinch-and-zoom feature to enlarge the image.</span></p></div></body></html>