While at a concert featuring Gary Muszynski, I witnessed someone in front of me zooming her iPhone camera in a way I hadn’t seen before. She activated a precision zoom function that it turns out has been around since iOS 13. It’s available on iPhones that have more than one lens.

Zoom Factor Buttons

On iPhones with more than one camera lens, a list that currently includes any iPhone with Face ID except the Xr as well as iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, the camera app shows two or more zoom factor buttons, such as .5, 1x, and 2 on the iPhone 12 Pro shown above.

You can tap one of these to specify that zoom factor and doing so will activate a different lens. In this case, the three buttons refer to Wide Angle, Standard, and Telephoto, respectively. Then, you can zoom more or less as you wish.

Precision Zoom

Generally, users zoom in and out by, respectively, spreading or pinching two fingers on the screen. However, on such iPhone models, there is a more precise approach.

Simply touch and hold on the zoom factor buttons and a large dial appears. Then you can push the dial one direction or the other to specify a zoom factor.

As you push the dial, you’ll find that it locks to the 1x position (and others, if supported) since that’s a common position. If you let go, the dial remains on the screen for a second or two so you can briefly view your field without blocking it and then easily make more adjustments as needed.

Naturally, you can also tap one of the zoom factors to start at that level and then drag the dial from the new starting point.

What tips have you discovered when randomly watching others using their Apple devices? How often do you take note when you see a behavior that’s unfamiliar to you?