iOS 13 introduced a document scanning feature in the iPhone’s file manager.
Since iOS 11, iPhones can scan documents without going through a third-party application. The Notes application integrates a scanning feature allowing you to scan any document on the fly.
If this function remains present in iOS 13, it is now also integrated into the file manager of the iPhone. This is excellent news which should facilitate the management of scanned documents, as the organization of scans within Notes is not really practical.
1. Open Files
Launch the Files app from your iPhone. Tap the options button, represented by three small dots, at the top right of the interface, and tap Scan documents.
2. Scan the document
The iPhone’s camera should launch. Stand on top of your document and frame it. The iPhone itself detects the edges of the document and displays a blue frame. You can then trigger the shot manually and crop the document by adjusting the frame, before pressing Keep Scan to complete the shot.
IPhone can also automatically detect the edges of the document and automatically validate the scan of a page.
Several pages of the same document can be scanned one after the other, with iOS increasing the number of pages scanned with each new shot.
3. Save the file
After your document is fully scanned, tap Save. File Explorer opens, select a save location and press Save to save the file. Scanned documents are saved in PDF format.
4. Edit the scan and share it
Navigate to Files to find the scanned document and open it. If you wish, you can annotate the pages of the scanned document by pressing the pen button at the top right to bring up the toolbar.
Finally, press the share button at the bottom left to send the document by email or message, to share it via AirDrop, or to print it.