How to Use Your Phone to Scan, Sign, and Share Documents

Some jobs will never be appropriate for a smartphone—for example, professional video editing and heavy spreadsheeting—but there is a lot you can accomplish with these smart devices, like scanning, signing, and sharing documents without needing to connect to a computer or printer.

There are a few built-in solutions for Android and iOS, as well as dozens of third-party apps for the job. Whatever you’re dealing with, whether it’s a work order or a document from your child’s school, you can handle it all online, promptly, and with no fuss.

Using Built-in options

If you use Android, Google Drive is most likely already installed on your device: By tapping the Plus (plus) symbol and then “Scan”, you can scan documents using the app. You’ll need to frame the document in question with your phone’s camera, and it’ll be saved as a PDF in your Google Drive account.

What you can’t do right now in Google Drive or Google Docs without a third-party plug-in is electronically sign papers (see below for some examples). An eSignature function is currently in beta, but it is only available to Google Workspace account holders.

Of course, sharing is well-catered for. You can share a document from within the Google Drive app by touching the three dots next to the file and selecting Share—this gives others access to the content within your Google Drive account. To send a PDF through any app on your phone, select Send copy from the same menu (an email app or instant messenger for example).

Scanning and signing features are included in the Files app for iPhone users (and the Notes app, if you want an alternative).

• Tap “Browse” and “On My iPhone” from Files.

• Then tap the three dots in the upper right corner and select Scan Documents

In the camera viewfinder, align the pages you want to scan, and they’ll be saved as PDFs to your device.

To sign a document in iOS, tap on it in the Files app, then tap the pen icon (bottom right). You can then scribble your mark with your finger, or pick the signature icon (the pen writing in a box) to make a new digital signature or use an existing one:

• Tap anywhere on the document,

• Then the Plus (plus) button, and finally “Add Signature”.

• When you’re finished, tap “Done”.

Sharing from within the Files app is simple. Tap and hold on a document, then select Share from the menu that appears: You can send the document via one of your phone’s apps, AirDrop it to another device, save it to a cloud storage service, and more.

Using Third-party apps

As you might expect, there are many third-party apps available for scanning, signing, and sharing documents. However, each one differs in terms of which of these functions it focuses on the most and which additional features are included. These are all free to download and may already be on your smartphone, though some may ask you to make in-app purchases in order to access premium features.

The most popular features of Dropbox (Android, iOS) are cloud storage and file syncing, but it also has a capable document scanner. Documents that have been scanned are saved as PDFs and kept in your cloud locker, where you can share them in a number of ways. Additionally, digital signing is possible, but only with PDFs on iOS (for the time being): Tap the open icon (an arrow inside a box) while a file is open, then select Add Text or Signature.

The esignatures in the Dropbox iOS app are powered by HelloSign (Android, iOS), which is available separately if you prefer something more stand-alone or something that works on Android. Multiple esignatures on a document can be managed with tools that support scanning, signing, and sharing.

Then there is DocuSign (Android, iOS), an app that, as its name implies, is entirely focused on assisting you in electronically signing documents: It provides the option to create and manage multiple signatures to achieve this. If necessary, you can use the built-in document scanner, import a file from another location, and share finished documents with any other app on your phone.

The trusted Adobe tool for managing PDFs is Acrobat Reader (Android, iOS), and the current mobile app can handle scanning, signing, and sharing documents in the PDF format (though a different app, Adobe Scan, is necessary for the first step). There are several helpful sharing options, and everything is handled neatly. For instance, you can allow other people to comment on the file.

It’s challenging to surpass JetSign’s (Android, iOS) usability. There is a lot of flexibility in every aspect of the app, from how your signature appears on the page to how files are shared with other people. Signatures, dates, and other text can all be dropped into a PDF with a few taps. Finished documents have to be exported as PDFs, but you can import files in a variety of formats (including Word documents).