Like most of us, you are probably also working from home while obeying the current lockdown laws. But, like most us again, you probably struggle to scan a document and it often leaves you in a pickle whenever you need to. You’ve also probably come across thousands of third-party scanner apps which usually ask you to dig deep in your pocket in order to fully use. With so many though, how do you decide which one is best to use?
Well, this might be a good time to let you know that the good folks at Apple have a free, built-in scanner which is readily available right bang in your iPhone. And no this is not a drill.
It’s a little known fact that with the release of iOS 11 back in 2017, Apple rolled out a scanner right within the Notes app. The great news is it’s just right there waiting for you and it won’t even cost you a single cent.
By now you are probably itching to know more, without further ado here’s how to use your iPhone’s scanner:
- Go to Apple’s official Notes app on your iPhone.
- Open an existing note, or create a new one by clicking the little icon on the lower right-hand side of the device.
- Tap on the camera icon in the menu that appears.
- Choose “Scan Documents” from the options that pop up.
- Hold your phone in front of the document you want to scan.
- If the scanner is in auto mode, the app will automatically detect the document and capture the scan. In manual mode, you’ll have to snap a photo yourself. You can change which mode you’re in on the upper right-hand side of the screen.
- If you need to adjust the scan, you can drag the corners of the page.
- Keep scanning if you have additional pages, or tap on “Retake” to automatically discard an image and rescan it.
- Hit “Save” on the lower right-hand side when you’re done. You now have a PDF of your document.
After you are done, you have several editing options. You can choose to crop it, switch between a color or black-and-white scan, rotate the document, and add additional pages to the scan. Tap on the name of the document to change the file name at any time.
At this moment your scanned document will be located in your note, simply click on the “Share” button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to send your PDF wherever you desire. You can also use the markup option and add your signature or input text.
And that’s it, just like that and like magic you have successfully scanned an entire document at the comfort of your home or wherever else you may be…we don’t judge as long as you are safe. The best part is, you didn’t have to spend a single cent or needed to go through all the admin of searching thousands of third-party apps on the App Store. Thank us later.
*Image credit – @andrewtneel
