I don’t know about you, but my eyes are not what they used to be. I’ve worked my way up (down?) to progressive bifocal glasses, and reading tiny text is just more of a challenge than I care to accept at this stage of life. Here’s how to make reading the text in the iOS 6 Messages app a little easier. The screenshots below are from the iPhone, but this works on the iPad and iPod touch as well.
Just FYI, this change will also affect the text in the Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Notes apps. We’re concentrating on the Messages app in this “how-to,” but be sure to check the other apps to view how things will look there.
How to Adjust the Messages Text Size in iOS:
- Open Settings and tap the “General” menu option.
- Once in “General, tap the “Accessibility” menu option. (It’s near the bottom.)
- Now that you’re in Accessibility, tap the “Large Text” menu option.
- You’ll now see the following font size options: OFF (the default), 20pt, 24pt, 32pt, 40pt, 48pt, and 56pt
You’ll be able to see preview alongside each text size option, but you can also switch back and forth to the Messages apps to see how your selection changes the display. As you can see below, when you change the size of the text, it changes the size of the text in the message bubbles, and even the message input box.
These text size options should allow even Mr. Magoo to easily read his text messages. I usually use the 24pt size on my iPhone, otherwise things start looking too cramped. Which font size worked best for you?
Thanks to OS X Daily for the original tip on how to adjust the text size on an iOS device.
