You can make iPhone app icons larger directly from Home Screen customization on current iOS versions. If you want the entire interface—including text, buttons, and icons—to appear larger, Display Zoom is the better option.
Make Home Screen App Icons Bigger
- Go to the Home Screen.
- Touch and hold the background until the icons begin to jiggle.
- Tap Edit, then Customize.
- Choose Large for the app icon size.
When large icons are selected, app names may no longer appear beneath the icons.
Make More Than Just the Icons Bigger
Use Display Zoom when you want interface elements such as controls, buttons, text, and icons to appear larger throughout iOS. This is different from changing only the Home Screen icon size.
Make Text Larger Without Enlarging Everything
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text, then adjust the slider. You can enable Larger Accessibility Sizes when you need additional text-size choices.
What If the Entire Screen Is Extremely Magnified?
That can be the Accessibility Zoom feature rather than normal icon sizing. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Zoom and turn Zoom off. If the screen is too magnified to navigate normally, a three-finger double-tap can zoom out.
Which Setting Should You Use?
- Large app icons: makes Home Screen icons larger.
- Display Zoom: enlarges the overall interface.
- Larger Text: increases text size in supported apps.
- Accessibility Zoom: magnifies portions of the screen and is intended as an accessibility feature.
Summary
For larger Home Screen icons, use Edit > Customize > Large. Use Display Zoom or Larger Text when your goal is broader readability rather than icon size alone.
Matthew Roberts created this site to help his friends and family with questions that they might have about how to change the settings on their iPhones. It now serves as an archive of iPhone how-to guides to help anyone that stumbles upon this website.