Partially blind guy here with an #a11y PSA:

I'm seing a trend away from "Text Size" sliders or old fashioned font dialogs and towards a few set choices "Default", "Large","Larger", etc.

This is a HUGE step backwards. Your 'larger' is *never* large enough for my crazy busted eyeballs when I'm using my 34" monitor.

If you must do this, please be sure to add "Largest" and even "ZOMG ARE YOU SERIOUS LARGE" options. Some of us REALLY need them, even if it seems insane to you.

@feoh From your perspective, do these buttons or sliders have any advantage over the standard builtin function of browsers to zoom into a page (and designing a website so that this zooming in does not break the layout)?

@lilo I guess I don't understand the question.

I'm talking about native apps, not web pages, so maybe you're saying everything should be an Electron app or something so we can web zoom on anything?

Most operating systems also offer the option to zoom part of the screen, but have you ever tried LIVING like that? It's a misery.

@feoh @lilo Do you know how to do that on android? I've not worked it out for native apps, and haven't found a way online. Is there some magic thing with seven fingers or something everyone knows about except me?

I've a terrible native app from tp-link where an important number is tiny in pale grey on a white in a diddy bubble of a different shade of grey and I have to screenshot it and zoom in an image viewer to see the number. (and my eyes are ok-ish: I wear reading glasses but that's it).

@chiffchaff @feoh @lilo On my Motorola Android phone, it's under Settings > Accessibility > Magnification. Once enabled, swiping up from the bottom of the screen with two fingers activates the screen magnifier. You can scroll around the screen with two fingers and pinch-zoom, and interact with UI elements in the magnified screen.

I don't know if this is specific to Moto or if it's in stock Android too?

@johnchivall @chiffchaff @feoh @lilo It's present on my Google Pixel phone but I have to press both volumebuttons or have an on-screen zoom button.
@green_bens @chiffchaff @feoh @lilo The two-finger swipe gesture might be a Motorola thing. Annoying that a11y functionality isn't standardised across android
@johnchivall @green_bens @feoh @lilo It's weird you have to turn it on. That's the thing which didn't occur to me! I felt very silly when you showed me how to do it, but it just seemed so strange that it isn't just normal. I had tried no end of things to get it to zoom, but I didn't expect it to be hidden away in a setting. Loads and loads of people have vision that needs a helping hand. I guess just not among mobile developers!
@chiffchaff @green_bens @feoh @lilo That too! It should be on by default and the very first "welcome to your new phone" screen should show that user how to do it (and that very first screen should be narrated too, explicitly asking if screen reader should be enabled from that point). Most users will just tap "next", some will go "oh cool, I didn't know it could do that and I like it" and everyone who really needs the feature has a usable device from the start