Selecting and editing text on a smartphone screen has always been frustrating. Our fingers are large, and the text is small. Attempting to place the blinking cursor exactly between the ‘e’ and the ‘i’ to fix a typo usually results in tapping wildly at the screen in frustration.
For years, Apple offered a fantastic “magnifying glass” feature that appeared when you held your finger on the screen, blowing up the text under your fingertip so you could see exactly where the cursor was landing. In iOS 13, Apple controversially removed this feature. However, due to massive user feedback, they quietly brought a vastly improved version of the magnifying glass back in iOS 15, but many users still do not realize it exists.
This guide explains how to trigger and use the hidden text magnifying glass on your iPhone.
How to Activate the Text Magnifying Glass
The trick to activating the new magnifying glass is entirely about timing and finger placement. If you just tap the screen, nothing will happen. If you double-tap, you will highlight a whole word.
- Open any app where you can type or edit text (like the Notes app, Messages, or Mail).
- Type a sentence with an intentional typo in the middle of a word (e.g., “This is an awqsome feature.”)
- Press and hold your finger directly on the typo, but do not move your finger immediately.
- Wait for exactly one second.
You will see a small pill-shaped bubble instantly pop up directly above your fingertip. This is the magnifying glass. It shows a zoomed-in, 150% view of the exact letters currently hidden underneath your finger, along with the vertical cursor line.
How to Place the Cursor with Precision
Once the magnifying glass appears on the screen, you are ready to make your edits.
- While keeping your finger firmly pressed against the glass, slowly drag it to the left or right.
- Look only at the magnifying bubble, not at your finger.
- Use the zoomed-in view to guide the vertical cursor line exactly where you want it (e.g., between the ‘w’ and the ‘q’ in “awqsome”).
- When the cursor is perfectly positioned, lift your finger straight up off the screen.
- Press the backspace key on your keyboard to delete the incorrect letter and type the correct one.
Alternative: The Spacebar Trackpad
While the magnifying glass is excellent for small, localized edits within a single word, it can be cumbersome if you need to drag the cursor across an entire paragraph.
For longer edits, you can turn the entire iPhone keyboard into a MacBook-style trackpad. Simply press and hold the Spacebar until all the letters on the keyboard disappear. You can now slide your thumb anywhere across the blank keyboard to freely fly the cursor around the screen without your finger ever obstructing your view of the text.