Dynamic Type lets people choose how large text appears across iOS. Many people raise it, and some need very large text. If your app uses fixed sizes or tight layouts, labels get clipped and buttons stop working. A ten-minute pass finds most of it.
Where testers change the text size
- Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text. Turn on "Larger Accessibility Sizes" to reach the biggest steps.
- Settings > Display & Brightness > Text Size covers the normal range.
- You can also add a Text Size control to Control Center and adjust it while the app is open. Menu names can differ by iOS version.
The checklist
- Test three sizes. Default, one of the larger normal steps, and the largest accessibility size. Why: problems often start only at the extremes. How: change size, return to the app, repeat on each main screen.
- Clipped or truncated labels. Look for "..." in titles, buttons and list rows that carry meaning. Why: a truncated price or action name can change what a user thinks they are tapping.
- Overlapping elements. Look for text over images, icons colliding with labels and buttons pushed off screen.
- Scrolling. Every screen with growing content must scroll. Why: a fixed-height form at the largest size can hide the primary button entirely. How: try to reach the last button on each screen.
- Buttons and tap targets. Text should stay inside its button, and the button should stay tappable.
- Tab bar and navigation bar. These behave differently from content. Check that labels stay readable and the bar remains usable.
- Forms and keyboards. Open a form at the largest size with the keyboard up. Is the field you type in still visible?
- Alerts and sheets. Long text in a dialog needs to scroll or wrap, not be cut off.
- Custom fonts and fixed sizes. If you use a custom font, check that it also scales. A screen that does not change at all when you raise the size is a finding.
- Layout switching. Rows that sit side by side at default size may need to stack at large sizes. Look for squeezed columns.
- Rotation. Large text in landscape leaves little room. Check key screens there too.
What to record
For every issue: screen, text size, a screenshot, and whether the user is blocked or only annoyed. Blocked comes first.
Combine this with a screen reader pass; see a 10-minute screen reader test. The two passes together cover the most common accessibility blockers.
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Hub: iOS app testing guide. Related: VoiceOver test script, iPad layout testing.