I Was Today Years Old When I Learned You Can Scan Documents on an iPhone Using the Notes App

POPSUGAR | Brittany Natale
POPSUGAR | Brittany Natale

iPhones are pretty amazing. Not only do they act as cellphones, but you can virtually do anything on them — send an email, gauge how much you've walked in a day (still don't know how it figures this out), and organize your life using one of its many, many apps. There's a pretty long list of iPhone hacks, too, which makes it seems like I'm learning something new about this smartphone even though I've had it for years.

My most recent discovery? You can scan documents using the Notes app! That's right — you can scan and save important documents such as checks, legal documents, and photos without having to track down the nearest scanner. Read ahead for a simple step-by-step guide on how to do this simple trick that will make your life a million times easier.

01
Locate the Notes App on Your Home Screen
POPSUGAR | Brittany Natale

Locate the Notes App on Your Home Screen

Open the Notes app, which looks like a sheet of lined paper, by accessing it from your home screen.

02
Open a New Notes File and Locate the "+" Icon
POPSUGAR | Brittany Natale

Open a New Notes File and Locate the "+" Icon

Once you've clicked the Notes app icon and you have a new notes file open, locate and tap the "+" icon that can be found on the bottom middle of your screen. If your keyboard is on, it will appear in a bar right above the keyboard.

Note: If you don't see it, go to Settings->iCloud->Notes and turn that on. Then, once you go back to Notes, the "+" should appear.

03
Click "Scan Documents"
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Click "Scan Documents"

Once you click the "+" icon, a list of options should appear. Choose "Scan Documents."

04
Hover Your Phone Camera Over Your Document
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Hover Your Phone Camera Over Your Document

Once you hit "Scan Documents," a camera screen will appear. Point your phone camera at your document. It should automatically locate the document and highlight it in yellow (this can sometimes take a few tries at first — don't worry!). Once the document you want to scan is highlighted completely in yellow, it will automatically capture the document image or you can also tap the bottom white icon to do this. In my case, my document was easily detected and automatically scanned and saved.

05
Save and Locate Your Document
POPSUGAR | Brittany Natale

Save and Locate Your Document

The document will then be saved to that Note file, which can be easily accessed and sent as a message, email, or more. It's that simple!

06
Pin It!

Pin It!