Other iPhone's Scanner amazes people, even Android fanboys

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

So if you guys know me from some of my other threads I work in a government data center. Everyone is issued an iPhone as a workphone, and hooo boy a lot of employees here don't like that since they're longtime Android fanboys. I keep hearing them complain how much they hate iOS, and even when discussing the benefits of adding Apple Silicon Macs to our organization, I always get told "we only use real computers here."

But there's one instance that has won them over to iPhone and actually wowed them, something I wish Apple talked about more: The built in document scanner in the Notes app. One of the managers had her scanner broken out for service and needed to fax a document, to which I just casually told her "you know your work iPhone has a scanner built in." She went "wait, it does?" I showed her how to do it and when she saw how effortless it was and how good the end result looked, and the fact you could digitally sign documents from the iPhone, she was speechless and her jaw dropped. "My Galaxy doesn't do that."

The next day, she started telling others around the building that I showed her how to scan documents with an iPhone, and more people started coming to my desk asking for me to show them how...then more...then more...and now next week I'm giving a tutorial presentation over Teams how to do it.

Honestly at this point Apple should hire me lmao. I turned the opinions of an entire building of Android fanboys completely around with just one move

 

[GMShadow]

For what it's worth, Genius Scan is also on Android (and iOS) and works quite well (at least the iOS version does) https://play.google.com/store/apps/...zzlylabs.geniusscan.free&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

For what it's worth, Genius Scan is also on Android (and iOS) and works quite well (at least the iOS version does) https://play.google.com/store/apps/...zzlylabs.geniusscan.free&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

Yes however that's a third party app that not a lot of people might know about, versus the scanner on iOS that is built right into the OS so everyone has it

 

[HouseLannister]

If she had a Galaxy S23, she could do that. Scanning and text extraction is in the camera app and I think they are rolling it out to older models too. Just need to go to the Galaxy Store app and install updates.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

If she had a Galaxy S23, she could do that. Scanning and text extraction is in the camera app and I think they are rolling it out to older models too. Just need to go to the Galaxy Store app and install updates.

She did not have a S23. It was a S21.

 

[TwitchyPuppy]

She did not have a S23. It was a S21.

And they say Apple doesn’t innovate

 

[Thoradin]

I’ve never actually used that function from the notes app.
I usually just head into files to scan and save as a PDF

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I’ve never actually used that function from the notes app.
I usually just head into files to scan and save as a PDF

You can do that from the Files app too?

 

[Thoradin]

You can do that from the Files app too?

Yeah.
Hit the browse button in the files app, then the three dots in the top right.
It allows you to save straight into the files app as a PDF

 

[MarkX]

Yes however that's a third party app that not a lot of people might know about, versus the scanner on iOS that is built right into the OS so everyone has it

Going by your post no one knew the scanner function was built in to the notes app so what's the difference?

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Yeah.
Hit the browse button in the files app, then the three dots in the top right.
It allows you to save straight into the files app as a PDF

Thanks for the info I always thought it was in the Notes app since Apple's documentation and ads always say the notes app

I'll have to update my presentation to reflect that

 

[Pandyone]

Yeah.
Hit the browse button in the files app, then the three dots in the top right.
It allows you to save straight into the files app as a PDF

This is such a good, but almost hidden feature.
I wish it was possible to access scan document from search on the Home Screen.

 

[Thoradin]

It’s something I use constantly.
I have loads of documents saved now in my phone that if I need to email ID paperwork or something to someone, I can do it in seconds

 

[cupcakes2000]

I use quickscan to access the scanner. It’s such an epic app. But I used files all the time previously and notes if I needed to add it directly to a note.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Love scanning in documents with my iPhone. Do it all the time. Scan in important stuff, shred it. Write out thoughts on paper? Scan it in, shred it. lol. One of the heavily used areas on my iPhone.

 

[thefourthpope]

This is such a good, but almost hidden feature.
I wish it was possible to access scan document from search on the Home Screen.

This is what long press on the files app should offer.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

This is such a good, but almost hidden feature.
I wish it was possible to access scan document from search on the Home Screen.

All the more reason I wish Apple made that feature more visible and told more people about it because everytime I tell people about it they're absolutely amazed and then use it constantly.

Seriously you'd get more people switching to iPhone if you told them "hey you can use your iPhone as a document scanner wherever you go." That's a big selling point for personal and business use.

 

[pianostar9]

For what it's worth, Genius Scan is also on Android (and iOS) and works quite well (at least the iOS version does) https://play.google.com/store/apps/...zzlylabs.geniusscan.free&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

I use Genius Scan on iOS currently – forgot Apple implemented their own scanner. How do you think they compare?

 

[adrianlondon]

I used this (via the Notes app, I also didn't know it could be done via Files) to scan in a lot of old photos I had.

Worked a treat.

 

[prime17569]

Apple provides the scanner interface in the VisionKit framework in their SDK so any developer can integrate it into their app. It's called VNDocumentCameraViewController, and you use VNDocumentCameraViewControllerDelegate to receive the scan data.

VisionKit | Apple Developer Documentation

Identify and extract information in the environment using the device’s camera, or in images that your app displays.

developer.apple.com

 

[sharksftw]

You can also scan in the mail app.

 

[1rottenapple]

For what it's worth, Genius Scan is also on Android (and iOS) and works quite well (at least the iOS version does) https://play.google.com/store/apps/...zzlylabs.geniusscan.free&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

I prefer Genius scan over apple notes scanning actually

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

You can also scan in the mail app.

APPLE! SERIOUSLY! ADVERTISE THIS FEATURE BETTER!

 

[Abazigal]

I find that as our devices become increasingly more complex, there's a lot of functionality in both iOS and android devices that many users are simply unaware of.

Just the other day, I was demonstrating how to use the iPhone's camera app to extract and copy text, and my friends using android phones then discovered their phones came with a similar feature. It's a handy alternative to people taking photos of slides and sharing them in WhatsApp. I am also using it a great deal for my note-taking (scan with my iPhone, copy text to clipboard, syncs over to iPad, insert in notes).

I don't know why Apple chooses to bundle their document scanner feature into notes, and not the camera app though. My guess is the issue of where to store the pdf after scanning, but going into notes or files app in order to scan something does not feel exactly intuitive. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[IamTimCook]

APPLE! SERIOUSLY! ADVERTISE THIS FEATURE BETTER!

Never understood why Apple buries some of it's best features.
There is another must turn on feature that is hidden away in the accessibility menu, Three Finger Drag for the Trackpad/Magic Trackpad. It allows you to just rest three fingers on the pad to move any object, moves dials, or to highlight. (Bonus! Once you start with three fingers you can continue the drag with just one). Turning it on also doesn't break any other function.

Three finger drag is way quicker than the double tap to drag, and no accidental opening of a file when trying to move it. Ten time better than the awkward press and hold while dragging. Makes highlighting stuff a dream.
Every friend I've shown this to has used it instead of the default for years now. Some even call me when getting a new Mac to ask where to turn it on is as it's not in the Trackpad options.

System Settings> Accessibility> Pointer Control> Trackpad Options> Dragging Style> Three Finger Drag

See! Buried as F This should be in the standard Trackpad option menu.

*I also remember when the world freaked out after learning hold spacebar to move cursor in iOS which Apple never told anyone.