How to Scan Documents in iOS 11 without External Software

In the era of high-tech smartphones, one may wonder about the need to buy a dedicated scanner to scan and share documents. There are a number of external apps that are developed for Android, Windows, and iOS-based phones. Do you know that with the launch of iOS 11, there is no need for any third-party app for scanning? It has an inbuilt utility in the form of a Notes app to scan and share it in a number of ways including saving it as a pdf file. In this article, we will focus on how to scan a document in iOS11 and the steps needed to save it as a pdf file.

Scanning instructions in iOS 11

Step-1

To get a digital copy of your physical document in iOS11, you need to find and open the Notes app on the home screen.

Once you tap on the Notes app, the New Notes screen will open, now tap on the icon on the bottom right corner of the screen as shown above.

Step-2

On the next screen, you need to find a Plus (+) sign that is located just above the keyboard. Tap it and in the next step, tap on scan documents at the top of the various options given.

Step-3

Now the camera will get activated and you need to take a picture of a document that needs to be scanned. From the bottom right screen, you need to tap on the Keep scan icon in order to continue. In order to share this digital document on WhatsApp or email it or you intend to save it as a PDF file.   Click on the share button in the upper right corner of the screen

Step-4

Once you have created a PDF of a scanned document, it’s time to save your file. In the next screen, tap on “Save the file to” button. Now it will present you with two options to save the scanned file in iOS 11.

Step-5

Either you can save it natively on your iPhone or in an iCloud Drive. If you select the target location on your iPhone, it will further ask you to save it in one of the folders from the list.

Scan Documents on iPhone with an inbuilt iOS App

It’s not always easy to find a suitable third-party app to scan a document with your iPhone. Apple has done a wonderful job by providing the utility to scan without external software. It is always handy and time-saving to scan in-house rather than going outside to scan a document. How are you scanning the document on your iPhone? Do share your experience in the comments section. We would love to share your valuable tips with others.