The best apps for scanning

You must have had an urgent need to send scanned documents to someone from your cell phone and not be at home. Or, not having a scanner handy. This is certainly no small problem, but fear not, we have the perfect solution for you. Scanning documents and photos with your smartphone is really very simple: many devices now have a dedicated section in their camera management software. Just turn on your phone's camera and select "scan document" from the various options that the software offers.

Your smartphone will then be set to scan and ready to detect the edges of your documents and photos thanks to artificial intelligence. There are also paid versions that include extra and specific functions for those who want to get more than satisfactory results. If you have in your hands an important document, photo, receipt or receipt that you need to scan and send to someone, in fact, you can use one of the many apps that can be downloaded directly from the Google Play store or Apple store, depending on the smartphone you own. Below, we'll outline the best apps for scanning documents and photos with a quick and easy click. So, sit back and get ready for some really interesting reading that could change the way you approach technology.

Scanning with Android and iPhone

Scanning photos and documents with Android and iPhone is really child's play: the scanning option, in fact, is present in all the latest top of the line devices. Apple's camera, in particular, allows scanning documents: Apple was one of the first companies to implement this option on smartphones and tablets. The application to use, in this case, is Notes and is present in all the latest iPhones.

Another very common way to scan photos and documents with Android is to use Google Drive. Few, in fact, know that this famous backup system has installed a default dedicated to scanning, storing and sharing documents. At this point, you'll simply have to open Google Drive and click on the "+" button in the lower right corner, then on "scan". Immediately you'll see the classic interface, very similar to that of the camera, that will let you frame the document you want to scan; then you'll just have to click on the circle-shaped button at the bottom of the display.

With this simple operation, your document will be scanned and saved in PDF and, in case you have more sheets to add, Drive will let you do it by pressing the "+" button again. Drive for Android also lets you make changes that we'll see in more detail shortly. Google Drive, in fact, offers the possibility of correcting small imperfections in a photograph that isn't perfect: by clicking on the ruler tool, therefore, you can cut it, refine the coloring, rotate it and make it as perfect as possible. The Drive app, finally, is also available for iOS devices, albeit in a slightly different form

Scanbot for Android and iOS

The first, very useful app for scanning documents and photos is Scanbot, for Android and iOS. This best app is available in different versions: the basic one, completely free, and three paid ones that offer a few more features such as, for example, the ability to take advantage of OCR technology to create PDFs and automatic upload to iCloud storage.

This is one of the best apps for scanning photos and documents and, after downloading it from the store on your mobile device, simply follow the instructions in the introductory guide and choose whether to use the free version or upgrade to one of the paid ones. At this point, you'll have to frame the document to be scanned with the camera and carefully follow the instructions provided on the screen. After scanning the image, the last step is to decide whether to save the scan in color, black and white or using the app's filters. In addition, you can edit the photograph by cropping it by rotating it, while also uploading the scan to iCloud.

Office Lense for Android and iOS

Office Lense is the second document scanning app we choose to present to you. Files scanned through this app can be converted to PDF as needed, as well as Word, and opened in the other apps distributed by Redmond. After downloading and installing it, just follow the short introductory tutorial and select the document or photo you want to scan: a picture of the area to be selected and a red button to press will appear to start the scanning process.

Then the scanned image will be processed and you'll be allowed to make the desired corrections related to framing and orientation. You can also add a caption and more pages by clicking on the number button at the bottom left.

Google FotoScan for Android and iOS

The third app that is among the best when it comes to scanning digital files is definitely Google FotoScan, which is perfect for both systems. In particular, this app is used for scanning photographs and is completely free. This app also has a short introductory guide that will help you in its use. After taking the photo, a thumbnail will appear on which you can click to edit the image if needed. So, you can edit the corners or save it directly like that.

If you want, before taking the photo, you can enable the removal of annoying reflections that we often find; it is an important detail that certainly makes a difference. You'll be able to remove reflections using the magic wand button, which is also common in other apps. Questa è un’ottima app per la scansione delle fotografie e non potete assolutamente perdervela!

Altre app per scannerizzare da cellulare

In questo articolo vi abbiamo elencato e spiegato nel dettaglio il funzionamento di alcune fra le migliori app per la scannerizzazione di foto e documenti. Nonostante ciò, esiste una vasta serie di app che possono essere utilizzate per la scansione di file, a seconda delle esigenze e dei risultati che si desidera ottenere.

  • Genius Scan, adatta sia per Android che per iOS, è un’ottima app per la scansione di file digitali. Si tratta di un’app che, in linea generale, possiede tutte le caratteristiche delle precedenti e che permette di ottenere risultati soddisfacenti. È ottima anche per scansionare foto vecchie, o comunque non troppo recenti, lasciandone inalterata la qualità. È gratis, ma esiste anche una versione a pagamenti con funzioni aggiuntive.
  • Anche Tiny Scanner rientra tra le app più performanti per la scansione di foto e documenti. Essa, poi, permette la condivisione dei file scansionati via email o direttamente sul computer attraverso Wi-Fi. È scaricabile gratuitamente, ma è disponibile anche una versione a pagamento con funzioni extra.
  • MyScans è un’ottima app per la digitalizzare documenti e foto sul dispositivo mobile. Questa app è molto semplice da utilizzare ed è scaricabile gratuitamente; anch’essa prevede la presenza di una guida introduttiva per gli utenti. Essa rileva automaticamente i bordi ed è in grado di convertire le foto digitalizzate in PDF all’occorrenza.
  • Evernote Scannable, infine, è l’ultima app di cui abbiamo deciso di parlarvi. Evernote è il celebre servizio per la presa di appunti che molti utenti già conoscono e, negli ultimi tempi, ha reso disponibile un’app per la scansione di documenti e file. L’app è gratuita e permette di condividere con altri i contenuti scannerizzati in pochi e semplici passi guidati. It integrates OCR technology to search for words and phrases in scanned files.

With our brief guide we hope we've cleared the air about the possibility of scanning files of any kind directly with your cell phone, without being a computer expert.