Magnifier's major update shows Google is serious about accessibility

It’s no surprise to see the launch of a new Pixel phone coincide with the introduction of Google’s latest accessibility features, and that’s just what we got last year when the Google Magnifier app landed alongside the Pixel 8. Magnifier was a bit of an odd little app, almost like a camera that didn’t take pictures (by default, anyway). Instead, it functioned like a viewfinder you could pause and zoom in to check out a scene in detail. But with today’s introduction of the Pixel 9 series, Magnifier is getting some serious upgrades that really promise to do a lot to expand its functionality.

Maybe the most useful-looking here is the ability to search for text within images. Rather than zooming in and slowly panning back and forth over a sign, hunting for the word you know is up there somewhere, you can simply enter it into Magnifier and let Google’s AI find it for you. It might be nice if the highlighting were a tad more contextual — in the example you see here with flight arrivals, Magnifier finds the city being searched for just fine, but it’s easy to lose track of that result when you start scrolling around while zoomed so far in. Still, this is a huge enhancement to Magnifier’s usability and really brings the app into its own.

We’ve also got a couple more quality-of-life improvements hitting Magnifier today. Google’s adding a picture-in-picture overview that should help you keep your overall bearings a little better when zooming in to extreme levels.

When we first tested Magnifier last fall, we noted that the app didn’t offer great control over lenses/cameras and didn’t always use the camera hardware you’d expect at certain zoom levels. With this update, you’re finally getting the ability to choose your lens, including wide-angle and macro options.

Finally, Magnifier isn’t just about getting a better look at the world around you — it also supports self-reflection, quite literally, with its selfie mode. To that, Google’s now adding screen illumination. While some of these feel more like catching up to oversights than anything, together, they represent a major step forward for Magnifier and its role in letting Pixel users of all abilities interact with the world the way they want to. Like past releases, this update is for the Pixel 5 and newer models, with the exception of the Fold.