The Secret iPhone Scanner
next week - How to Scan on Your Android Phone
So, you’re home due to the pandemic and you have a document you need to scan. You've seen the slew of third-party scanner apps you have to pay for in the App Store. Which one to choose?

Apple's document scanner is hidden inside the Notes app, so there's no need for a third-party app.
How to use your iPhone as a 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.
  • Tap Scan Documents from the options that pop up.
  • Hold your phone in front of the document you want to scan - you're now using the camera.
  • 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.
  • Tap Save on the lower right-hand side when you’re done.
  • You now have a PDF of your document saved in a Note. Bravo!
Editing your Scan - Getting Fancy!
After scanning the document, you have a number of editing options. You can 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.
  • Tap the Share button in the upper-tight corner to edit and markup.
  • Tap Markup and choose the tool you want to use: e.g. color picker (shown)
  • Tap + for text box, signature magnifier or shape.
Sending the Scan
Once the scanned document is sitting in your Note, click on the Share button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to send your PDF (top image). The PDF is automatically inserted in the message.

The second image shows the Mail option, but you can also send via Messages (text).
Deleting the Scan
If you've accidentally scanned the same document twice, or decide you want to try again after you've saved a scanned document, you can delete a single scan without having to delete an entire Note document.

  • Tap your scanned document
  • Tap the Trash Can in the bottom-right corner
  • Tap Delete Scan.

This only deletes the specific scanned page you've selected. If you want to delete the entire document, simply delete the note.
Pictures courtesy of iMore.com
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