Why Scan with your Phone?
For about half a century now, scanning meant firing up a clunky printer, waiting for it to warm up, taking a few minutes to scan it, then praying your computer was properly set up. Or, alternatively, doing it at a local shop then having to wrestle a crowd of people just to get your document on the scanner. Well, thankfully, technology has progressed since then, and the best scanner is no longer in giant clunky all-in-one printers. It’s in your pocket! Modern smartphones can capture, clean, and convert documents into high resolution, searchable PDFs in seconds, outperforming many of the old methods of scanning. In this guide, we’re going to walk you through how to scan documents with your phone and come out with results that are far better than a scanner that also have features like OCR and auto-correction.
This guide will give you a couple of methods that are separated between iPhones and Android. Both platforms come with a built-in tool that are ready to turn paper into digital files instantly. If you want more, however, then there are a couple of extra free apps that cover any feature you want, including automatic text recognition, cloud syncing, or multi-page PDF creation. Let’s get started!
Native Methods
iPhone – Notes
Apple has quietly made the native Notes app a powerhouse for document scanning over the years. If you own an iPhone, then you definitely have this on your phone unless you went out of your way to delete it.
Follow these steps to use it to start scanning your documents:
- Open the Notes app.
- Start a new note, or open an existing one depending on your needs.
- Tap the camera icon and then select Scan Documents.
- Position the document. The camera will auto-detect the edges and snap, but you can also press the shutter.
- Drag the corners to adjust the crop as needed.
- Tap Keep Scan. You can now choose to add more pages or just save this one page.
- You can now Share as PDF or simply take a photo of it and convert it later.
There are a couple of extra enhanced features if you want to go the extra distance as well.
- The Auto edge detection can automatically help you crop away the background and straighten your page.
- You can use filters to choose between color, grayscale, or black-and-white for clarity.
- You can scan several pages back-to-back and save them into a single big PDF file.
- You can use markup tools to sign contracts or annotate documents without ever leaving the app..
- There is spotlight search integration, meaning that you can search for the scanned text through iOS if automatic text recognition (OCR) is active.
You can save these files directly to your iPhone’s Files app by tapping the three-dot menu and selecting Scan Documents.
Android – Google Drive
Android doesn’t have a dedicated scanner app built into the OS, but it does have Google Drive integrated by default that can fit that role perfectly. Unless you went out of your way to delete the Drive app, you should already have it installed.
Follow these steps to use it to scan:
- Open the Google Drive app.
- Tap the + button in the bottom right.
- Choose Scan (camera icon).
- Line up your document on a flat surface. Make sure that the surface is as featureless as possible so the camera can pick up the edges easier.
- Capture and then adjust the crop edges with the drag handles. Make sure to capture everything you need.
- Tap the palette icon to pick a filter: color, grayscale, or black-and-white.
- You can optionally add additional pages with the + button.
- Click save and the document will automatically upload straight to the Drive as a PDF.
This method comes with the happy effect of automatically uploading to the cloud as well, meaning that you can easily access the PDF on your desktop computer if needed. There’s no extra exporting required. On top of that, batch scanning makes the process of scanning multiple pages easier, and you can add the “Drive Scan widget” to your home screen for instant scanning.
If you’re using a Pixel phone, then the built-in Google Camera app and Photos app will often suggest scanning options when it detects a document or receipt in the viewfinder or gallery.
However, unlike iOS, there are absolutely no automatic text recognition (OCR) functions whatsoever, meaning that finding specific text in the document is more of a hassle.
Third Party Apps
Adobe Scan
If you’re on iOS, click here to download this app. If you’re on Android, then click here.
Adobe Scan is a polished, professional-grade scanner from Adobe. It’s built for users who want a few more features with their scanning app and has automatic text recognition (OCR), organization tools, and easy ways to clean PDFs. Specifically, the app uses Adobe’s image correction tech to straighten pages, fix lighting, and make text pop, often giving results sharper than traditional scanners.
Follow these steps to scan a document with Adobe Scan:
- Install the app by searching for it in the Apple Store or the Google Play store.
- Sign into it with whatever method you want. Apple, Google, or an Adobe ID all work.
- Give it whatever permissions it asks for.
- In settings, you can enable Auto-Capture and then choose your default as Save to PDF.
- Open Adobe Scan, then go to Document mode.
- Tap the screen and hold the phone steady. The app will auto-detect edges and snap.
- Tap the page thumbnail, and crop by adjusting the corners as needed.
- Tap Filters. You can either let it Auto-color for text, or just simply set it to Black and White.
- After the first capture, you can either tap + or simply keep auto-capturing each page.
- You can double check the results via the Reorder icon. You can shuffle the pages around to the correct order or delete any misfires.
- Tap Save PDF. The app will automatically run OCR so the entire PDF is easily searchable.
- You can export it and share it by tapping Share, then choosing an option such as Email, Drive, or Dropbox.
- PDFs will automatically save to the Adobe Document Cloud by default, but you can also save locally.
The app has a couple of extra features that will help you touch up the document as well. You can set it to Book mode to organize it into a book format or use the Magic Eraser tool to remove finger stains or wrinkles.
Genius Scan
If you’re on iOS, click here to download this app. If you’re on Android, then click here.
Genius Scan is more focused on privacy than the other apps on this list. It’s most notable for handling all scans directly on your device with no cloud processing required. It’s a favorite for those who don’t want to risk sending sensitive documents to external servers.
To use the app, follow these steps:
- Install it on either the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. Open it up.
- Give it whatever permissions it asks for.
- Tap the + sign and then select Camera.
- Hold the camera steady on your document. Genius Scan auto detects the page and will capture when the conditions are right.
- Adjust the Crop if needed. Apply Enhance and select the Black and White filter for paper forms.
- After the first capture, keep tapping the + sign to add more pages.
- Reorder the pages by long-pressing thumbnails. Delete any extras.
The program will handle all the image processing on the device to help keep documents private. You can choose to export it like anything else via methods such as Email, Files, or various cloud services like Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, FTP and more. While there are no OCR features in the free version, you can add tags and rename files to find them easier later.
CamScanner
If you’re on iOS, click here to download this app. If you’re on Android, then click here.
CamScanner is one of the oldest and most feature packed scanner apps out there. It’s extremely popular with business users because of its various business focused features. It has tools for easy collaboration, ID card scanning, signatures, and is even able to scan tables and automatically convert them into an Excel file. Unfortunately, many of these tools aren’t available in the free tier, and free users even get a watermark slapped on their PDFs on top of that. Still, there are a ton of features that even free userse will appreciate.
To use CamScanner, follow these steps:
- Install it via the iOS App store or the Google Play Store. Open it and grant it whatever permissions it asks for.
- Either sign in or use as a guest. Select the free tier.
- Tap Camera Scan.
- Hold the camera steady and tap the button when you want to capture. CamScanner will auto-crop the page.
- Pick whatever filter is appropriate for the document. Magic Color, B&W, or Grayscale.
- You can then choose to save it as a PDF or JPG.
- You can then continue scanning documents and utilize Batch mode.
- Reorder/rotate pages. You can save everything as a single multi-page PDF.
- You can now choose to share it to your email or the cloud. The formats you can select include PDF, JPG, Word, or TXT.
There’s not much else you can do on the free tier. However, this will give you enough time to get acquainted with the app and decide whether or not you want to continue to the paid version.
ABBYY FineReader PDF
If you’re on iOS, click here to download this app. If you’re on Android, then click here for the closest approximate.
ABBYY FineReader is a heavyweight in the scanning industry, known for being the leader in OCR. It’s used by researchers, lawyers, and various businesses that need high-accuracy text recognition across 190+ languages. FineReader also handles book scanning incredibly well, making it ideal for archiving or academic use. Do note, however, that this app primarily focuses on iOS support. While it is available on Android, its availability varies.
Follow these steps to scan using the app:
- Install via your mobile device’s app store. Open it and allow Camera access. You can optionally sign in to sync with ABBYY’s services.
- Set PDF to be the default output.
- Aim and capture a document. FineReader will auto-detect the edges and straighten.
- Use whichever color mode is appropriate for the document and edit it with the crop/rotate functions.
- Tap Add Page to continue adding pages. Make sure to scan your documents in sequence.
- You can reorder and rename the pages for easy sorting.
- Save it as a PDF or JPG. If saved as a PDF, the app’s automatic OCR will kick in, letting you easily search it.
This app’s OCR is particularly powerful, supporting many languages and letting you search the document with ease. If you’re deep into the ABBYY ecosystem, you can easily export this with one of the many options like Files or Mail and then continue editing it with the ABBYY desktop software.
Tips on Optimal Document Scanning
Even the best app can’t save bad technique. There are a lot of factors to keep in mind when taking scanning your document that can make the difference between a fuzzy mess and a professional looking PDF. Here are some tips to give you the best results possible.
- Find Good Lighting
Lighting is important for the document’s details to be picked up by your scanner. Preferably, you have natural light, so positioning near a window is a bonus. If it’s nighttime and you’re using a lamp, then try to point the light towards a wall and reflect it towards your document. Direct light will create shadows and glare. Lastly, if your document has a glossy finish, then try to tilt the light slightly so that you avoid harsh reflections.
- Use a Dark Background
Try to have high contrast with your document so that the scanner can easily detect the corners faster and more accurately. This usually means placing the document on a dark table or, alternatively, dark paper under a white document.
- Keep the Phone Parallel
Hold your phone directly above the page, parallel to it. This will ensure that your document’s text won’t be affected by perspective distortion. While the apps on this list tend to have functions that try to minimize its effects, it’s best practice to just avoid it entirely.
- Hold Your Phone Higher, Not Closer
Your app works best if it can see all the corners of the document. Holding it too close will not only potentially cut off text, but your phone’s camera may have trouble focusing. The app will automatically sharpen and flatten the page later, but it needs the full document first.
A Scanner in Your Pocket
As our technology continues to evolve, it tends to get smaller. A process that used to mean firing up a bulky printer, waiting for it to warm up, praying that it didn’t need a driver update of some kind has now been simplified to the point of simply pulling your phone out and pointing it at whatever you need scanned.
It doesn’t really matter what mobile device you use. Both iPhone and Android have Notes and Drive, simple and powerful native scanning options that would cover a vast majority of user needs. But if you’re a professional, a businessman, or just a student that needs to both scan a ton of documents and be able to search through them easily, then you just need to download a more powerful app like Adobe Scan, Genius Scan, or ABBYY FineReader with more robust OCR functions and you’re good to go!
These apps, coupled with a couple of simple tricks, are usually more than enough to make your scans look sharp enough to be from high-end office machines. So the next time you need to digitize something, just remember that your phone is one of the best scanners you already own.
