How to use your smartphone camera to scan important documents

Using a smartphone, iOS or Android, you can quickly and easily scan a document. Here’s how to do it depending on your device.

Even though we live in a mostly digital world today, we still receive a lot of paper documents. Some of them are important and should be stored properly for several years. Keeping a hard copy is sometimes even mandatory. On the other hand, having a digital copy can be very helpful. We can then easily transfer them to anyone if needed. To do this, they need to be scanned. If working with an all-in-one printer is easy, a simple iOS or Android smartphone may suffice. Here’s how.

How to scan a document using iPhone or iPad

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you have several options for scanning documents with your camera, but we’ll focus on the Files app. This method is preferred because the document is saved in files, making it easier to edit and transfer to a computer or other device.

1. First, open the Files app.
2. Click on the menu icon with three small dots in the top right corner.
3. Click Scan Documents.

Your camera will open and the program will ask you to place your document in the field. The best way to do this is to place it on a flat surface, such as a table, with good lighting. Avoid white surfaces that reflect too much light, the camera will not be able to scan the document correctly.

Now place your phone or tablet directly over the document and you will see a blue overlay appear above the document indicating it is being scanned. If the document is scanned correctly, it will automatically be placed in your completed scans, allowing you to scan multiple documents in a row.

You can also tap the document preview in the bottom left corner to rescan or edit documents. You can crop them – if the auto-scan wasn’t perfect – and add a filter (like grayscale) to improve readability. If you’re happy, click “Save”to save the PDF document to the Files app. You can then rename it or share it via email or another app.

How to scan a document using an Android smartphone

There are several solutions for scanning documents on Android, but they vary from one model to another. For example, the Google Pixel 6 and Samsung Galaxy S have a document scanner built into the Camera app, while the OnePlus 9 and Moto G Power do not. Therefore, we are going to scan documents from the Google Drive app, which is not native, but on most Android devices, the Google Drive app is pre-installed.

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Click the blue + button in the lower right corner.
3. Click Scanner.

When the document is on a flat, non-reflective surface, position the camera directly over the document so that it is properly in view. Press the button to take a photo. If you are happy with the image, click OK. After that, you should see an automatically cropped image. You can then add a filter (like black and white), rotate it, or change the borders. If you want to add more, tap the + icon in the bottom left corner.

If you’re done scanning, click “Save”in the bottom right corner. You can then name the document, select an account (if you have more than one), and choose a folder to save the document (as a PDF). After that, click “Save”again in the lower right corner. After sending a document to Google Drive, you can add comments, search for keywords, and, of course, share it via email or another app.