How to fix iPhone stuck in zoom mode

Introduction

Among various useful capabilities, iPhone also has a seemingly interesting zoom feature allowing users to magnify their entire screen wherever it is double-tapped with three fingers. However, because some users do not know about it that much, using this feature accidentally might lead to confusion without knowing how to zoom out into the normal workspace. Due to this, such users get stuck and have difficulties with navigation, opening apps, and even unlocking the screen. Luckily, fixing this issue is pretty easy and can be done using a couple of solutions presented in our guidelines below. We will also show you how to disable this feature so that it does not get accidentally activated again.

Download repair tool

Sometimes resolving the errors is out of our control and possibilities. This is where third-party tools are more than welcome to contribute and carry all the difficulties away. If you are stuck in zoom mode on your iPhone but fail to benefit from any of the manual steps below, try using Tenorshare ReiBoot⁣ – a great recovery tool designed for resolving errors like that. Here is how you can use it to easily reverse the zoom mode and get a normal screen on your iPhone:

Tenor Reiboot Dashboard

Tenor Reiboot Download iOS

Tenor Reiboot Repair Modes

Tenor Reiboot Repair Process

Download iOS Repair Tool

1. Download and install ReiBoot for either Mac or Windows.
2. Once done, open the app and plug your device into the computer.
3. Then, you have to enter Recovery mode on iPhone. To do so, you have to perform the same steps from the second method. However, the only difference is that you have to continue holding the last combination of buttons even when the Apple logo appears. By holding them longer, you will get to Recovery mode. You will see an image showing a laptop and a cable.
4. After this, the program should recognize your device and offer to Exit Recovery Mode.
5. Choose it and wait until your device reboots. This should reset the zoom and get your iPhone to look normal.

1. Double-tap on the screen with three fingers

It is likely that you entered the zoom mode by accidentally tapping on your screen twice with three fingers. The reverse process looks exactly the same. Simply double-tap on your screen simultaneously with three fingers and it will do the whole trick. If you’ve tried this method multiple times and iPhone still doesn’t want to zoom back, go to other solutions in our guide below. If everything worked and you want to prevent this feature from working, you can easily disable it in settings like shown below:

1. Go to Settings and navigate to Accessibility at the bottom.
2. Tap on Zoom and toggle it off.

This is it. Easy as that your device will no longer zoom in even if the accident double-tap happens.

2. Force-restart your device

If the previous method didn’t work and your iPhone continues being zoomed in without responding to your attempts, this could be because your device lagged due to a random bug. Force-restarting your iPhone should easily fix this problem. Follow these steps:

iPhone 8 or later:

1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
3. Press and hold the Side button (which you use to unlock your screen) until you see the Apple logo.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPod touch (7th generation):

1. Press and hold the Side (or Top) button and the Volume Down button together at the same time.
2. Likewise in the previous steps, the Apple logo should appear on the screen.

iPad models with a Home button, iPhone 6s or earlier, and iPod touch (6th generation) or earlier:

1. Press and hold both the Side (or Top) button and the Home button until you see the same Apple logo as it was above.

iPad models without a Home button:

1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
3. Then press-hold the Power button and wait until the iPad restarts.

Basically, the pattern of restarting your device is the same only varying by a combination of buttons on different generations of IOS devices.

3. Disable Zoom using iTunes

In case force-restarting your device did not turn off the zoom feature, you can also disable it in iTunes by connecting your iPhone to a macOS laptop or computer. Here is how:

Please note that this method works only if you are able to unlock your screen. If not, skip over to the other solutions below.

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable.
2. Unlock your iPhone and click Trust in Trust This Computer? window. This window will appear if you haven’t agreed to trust your computer already before.
3. Then open iTunes and go to your device page.
4. Select Summary on the left pane.
5. Scroll down to the bottom and click on Configure Accessibility….
6. Now deselect the checkbox next to Use Zoom and click OK afterward.

Your iPhone should recognize this change and zoom back to its normal screen layout.

4. Update iOS via iTunes

If none of the methods above helped you resolve the issue, then you can try updating iOS via iTunes. This will work only if there is a new update that can be downloaded onto your iPhone. To do so, we will have to enter Recovery mode on your iPhone and then install the new update using iTunes. Follow the steps below:

1. Connect your iPhone to Mac.
2. Then, you have to enter Recovery mode. To do so, you have to perform the same steps from the second method. However, the only difference is that you have to continue holding the last combination of buttons even when the Apple logo appears. By holding them longer, you will get to Recovery mode. You will see an image showing a laptop and a cable.
3. After this, iTunes should automatically display a message to update your iPhone. Click on Update.
4. Download the firmware that iTunes will offer and wait until the process ends.
5. This will reset your settings and disable the zoom feature on your device.

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An easier alternative to the above is ReiBoot⁣ – a useful utility by Tenorshare that was already mentioned in the beginning and that can help you reverse the zoom mode in a couple of clicks, and most importantly, without losing any custom settings.

Summary

Having your iPhone stuck in zoom mode may seem unusual and confusing at first glance, but with the right solutions at your disposal the issue becomes easily solved within minutes or even some seconds. We hope our guide was useful and managed to give you the result that you were looking for. If you ever get to encounter any other issues on iPhone or other devices, feel free to search for relevant articles on our website to address them. Each day we publish new material dedicated to resolving various errors and eliminating malicious threats.