Binoculars app: frequently asked questions

No. It's your iPhone's own camera, zoomed in and easier to hold steady thanks to the freeze frame. Past the phone's telephoto lens the app is cropping the sensor, and the picture looks it — softer and grainier the further you push.

That ceiling is the app's choice, not the phone's. Some iPhones report a much higher digital zoom, but past 25x a hand-held picture is mostly mush, so every device gets capped there regardless.

The camera side doesn't. Zoom, freeze, focus, night mode, saving and sharing all run on the device itself. The free version uses the internet only to load ads, including the rewarded one that lifts the zoom cap — no connection, and the ads just don't show, while you stay at 8x unless you're on Pro.

No. Binoculars takes still photos and freezes a single frame so you can look at it properly. There's no video recording, and we'd rather say that plainly than have you find out after downloading.

On the free plan, saved and shared photos get resized to 1600 pixels on the long side. A 4032 × 3024 capture becomes 1600 × 1200. Pro saves and shares the capture untouched.

That's the free limit, and it applies the same way to the slider, the presets and pinching. Hit it and a banner shows up with Watch Ad and Go Pro. The ad lifts the cap until you close the app; Pro removes it for good.

No, only for that session. Close the app and open it again, and the 8x limit is back waiting for you. Pro is the only way to remove it permanently.

While the ad is loading the button reads Preparing ad… and can't be tapped. If the ad doesn't finish, you see Ad didn't finish — zoom still capped and the limit stays at 8x.

No. It turns on the camera's low-light boost where the device supports it and raises the exposure by up to two stops. That brightens a dim scene, but it cannot show anything in true darkness, and it is the same for free and Pro users.

Everything the app shows comes from the camera: the live zoom, focus, torch, night mode and the photos used for freeze frame and saving. Nothing is recorded or uploaded unless you save or share.

No. It asks only for add-only Photos access, which lets it save pictures into your library without being able to read what is already there.

It decides whether the free version's ads can be personalized, nothing more. Say no and you still get ads, just not tailored ones. It has nothing to do with the camera, and Pro users don't see ads at all.

Zoom up to your camera's real maximum (never past 25x) with no ad to watch, full-size saved and shared photos instead of 1600 pixels, and no ads anywhere. That's it — freeze frame and night mode were already unlimited on the free plan, so Pro is really just about the cap, the file size and the ads.

Open Settings with the gear icon and tap Restore Purchases. The Zoom limit row then shows No limit once Pro is active.

You can pinch the frozen photo up to 8 times larger and drag it around. The slider and presets are dimmed until you tap Resume, because they control the live camera, not the still.

Switching to Magnifier turns the torch on on purpose, since small print is easier to read with light on it. Switching back to Binoculars turns it off, and you can always toggle it with the bolt icon.

No. Binoculars runs on iPhone and iPad only, and it has no home-screen widgets.

It can make small print easier to read, but it is not a medical device. If you have a vision problem, the app doesn't replace an eye-care professional or a prescribed magnifier.