Show HN: Open Scanner, an open-source document scanning app for iPhone (opens in new tab)

(github.com)

264 pointsductionist1y ago81 comments

81 comments

Not sure how this compares to the scanner in the native Files app? https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/scan-documents-ios-files-ap...

macrolime1y ago

I think the fact this made it to the front page shows how many were unaware of the scanner in the files app. I have multiple times looked into ways to scan on iPhone and have only found the Notes app, which is kinda klunky, and Microsoft Lens.

nesk_1y ago

I agree, but what’s the solution then? Creating a new app doing the same job? Or writing a tutorial to explain how to use the native scanner?

1 more reply

nrabulinski1y ago

TIL it’s in the files app. I always use the notes app for this. You can either long-press on notes and tap scan document or go into a random note, scan a document, and export it as pdf from there

mrunseen1y ago

I did not check the source code but scanning UI and outcome is exactly the same as native iOS scanner.

taco_emoji1y ago

In case anybody was wondering, you can also do this in Android via the Google Drive app. Click "New" and then "Scan".

dinnouti1y ago

There is a shortcut for the native scan within Files. I usually add to the Home Screen.

ornornor1y ago

I had no clue there was a scanner in the files app.

miles1y ago

Thanks so much for crafting and sharing this app. Was just chatting with a friend about scanning via Notes[1], which is a little clunky for quickly and seamlessly sharing a scan.

A few feature suggestions:

* Allow setting default color mode (having to switch manually to B&W every time adds another step)

* Allow setting setting type (PDF, JPG, TXT) and size (Original, Medium, Small) in Sharing Options à la Scanner Pro[2]

* Allow sharing immediately after scanning rather than first having to tap Save then opening the image again

[1] https://support.apple.com/en-us/108963

[2] https://readdle.com/scannerpro

chazeon1y ago

You can actually directly scan in the Files app from the triple dots menu in the upper right corner, this will allow you to directly scan as a PDF file.

toomuchtodo1y ago

I love Apple, but this is so Apple: hidden powerful functionality you'll only know about through word of mouth or intentional exploration in the UI.

4 more replies

manmal1y ago

And you can scan to any cloud provider that integrates with Files that way. Dropbox etc

nialse1y ago

Mind blown. Thanks for telling me about this gem.

lobochrome1y ago

And you can use the Shortcuts app to create a home screen shortcut for it.

1 more reply

wrs1y ago

With an iPad, just open Camera. If it sees a piece of paper, you’ll get a yellow Scan Document button without doing anything.

cromka1y ago

Also worth noting is that if you have a Mac, you can do the same from its Finder and a right click menu.

terraplura1y ago

Came here to say the same. I wonder how this app compares. One perk this app provides is you have a button to press from your home screen. With the native feature, you could set up an Apple shortcut to start scanning a document and create a button on your home screen.

zamadatix1y ago

Apart from being clunky Apple's Notes app has some just... odd limitations. E.g. you can only scan 24 pages in a note, because reasons?

theogravity1y ago

Congrats on the release. Open Scanner looks like a good alternative to the paid TurboScan (it's what I've been using for over 5+ years):

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/turboscan-pro-pdf-scanner/id34...

AiAi1y ago

Also have been using this for years (even knowing that there's this feature built-in in the Notes app).

bbor1y ago

Looks incredible! As someone preparing a large iPhone-based scanning project, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m a longtime CamScanner user, but will happily move to something open source if it delivers on its promises. Will try it out asap!

Re:the common “why not just use the native functionality” questions, I think the simple answer is scale. If I want to scan a random receipt I’d use Apple, but as we all know well, Apple rarely caters to power users — someone scanning multiple times a day or for hours at a time will almost definitely be better served by a dedicated app.

Side note: these (two!!) devs are killing it. Great communication (their privacy policy is top-notch), great styling, and they have a whole roster of neat apps lined up, including an Apple Vision release. Thanks for putting them on my radar, OP! https://pencilresearch.com/

darknavi1y ago

I am partial to QuickScan[1] as it is free and has no ads. It does not seem to be open source though.

[1] https://www.quickscanapp.com/

miles1y ago

QuickScan looks great and has loads of features, but it might be more accurately described as "nagware" since a donation request is shown on every export until a donation is made (after which point it can be disabled via Settings > Other settings > "Do not show donation request"). Nothing wrong with that; if I were a user I'd certainly donate, just wanted to let other potential users know.

post_break1y ago

It's funny how we tolerate Winrar doing that but on the phone it seems more annoying.

1 more reply

darknavi1y ago

Good point. I must have donated at some point because I use it often and don't remember seeing that.

1 more reply

sandreas1y ago

Does it support page dewarping[1] and 1bit color Palette PNG in PDF so shrink filesize[2]? I would love to See these features...

1: https://github.com/LittleTrickster/PDF-Doc-Scan/issues/17#is...

2: https://github.com/LittleTrickster/PDF-Doc-Scan/issues/7#iss...

dmd1y ago

This functionality is already built into the iPhone - in the Notes app, and also in the Files app. What does your software add?

thefourthchime1y ago

Why is my first thought that this has a clever backdoor to find passwords and crypto keys?

Obscurity43401y ago

Probably one of many

ein0p1y ago

Integrated, single purpose app. Most people don’t even know Notes has OCR. I didn’t until late last year, even though I’ve been iPhone user since the original came out.

pjot1y ago

The camera and photos.app has ocr as well.

Whenever im wanting to copy text on an app that hijacks the clipboard (LinkedIn/Slack) I take a screenshot, highlight the text, and copy as you would normally.

nashashmi1y ago

Try searching universally for stuff like invoice and you will get a copy of the invoices you have taken a picture of.

Google photos has a feature where it recognizes documents like credit cards and so you can search for them.

andrei-akopian1y ago

For Android I recommend "OSS Document Scanner" it is just as good as MS Lens and CamScanner in my experience.

- https://github.com/Akylas/OSS-DocumentScanner

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38848423

ryankrage771y ago

Awesome that it's free, open-source, and ad-free. My understanding is you have to pay to publish even free apps on the App store - are the devs providing this at their own expense?

ductionistOP1y ago

Dev here - we already have a developer membership from our other (monetized) apps, so releasing this doesn't cost us any additional money.

ThrowawayTestr1y ago

I thought it was only $100 a year

dxbednarczyk1y ago

What benefit does Open Scanner have over using the "Scan Document" iPhone shortcut? For sync/sharing I usually just AirDrop the scan to my Mac.

Starmina1y ago

Nothing if you like it that way.

yosito1y ago

iOS has built in document scanning. I never understood why I should install a third party app for that.

slaven1y ago

If you scan a lot of documents you would

yosito1y ago

I do scan a lot of documents. iOS is great at it.

nashashmi1y ago

“Hey siri, scan document”.

I guess you can provide an alt for people who didn’t activate siri.

october81401y ago

Just long click on Notes app. Or click the … in Files.

nashashmi1y ago

And found a third method: send a shortcut to home screen to scan document.

weinzierl1y ago

I will certainly give it a try, because I am not 100% happy with SwiftScan anymore.

The biggest threat to these kinds of apps is getting bought by one of the big app boutique shops and being neglected.

SwiftScan started as an ambitious project by a small shop of dedicated people, but since it has been sold it started to show some cracks.

chrisweekly1y ago

Related tangent: IF you already use Dropbox, FYI the Dropbox iOS app's scan feature is excellent.

tmaly1y ago

When it says it saves it to its own library, does this mean scans will not appear in Photos? Is there a way to clean up older files in the library?

ductionistOP1y ago

That’s right, scans don’t appear in Photos. You can delete pages or scans with the usual iPhone controls (swipe left to show the Delete button, etc.)

zeagle1y ago

I don't have an iPhone but thinking of switching from Android and my work flows. Can this sync saving to a SMB network folder so paperless-ngx imports it?

mmmlinux1y ago

iOS can connect to SMB and scan documents out of the box with the built in files app.

zeagle1y ago

That's great to know. Thanks!

teeray1y ago

I would love paperless-ngx export support for this

0XAFFE1y ago

There is Paperparrot[1] which allows to directly scan documents or add existing documents to your paperless instance from your phone.

[1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/paperparrot/id1663665267

tedcrilly1y ago

There’s also swift-paperless: https://github.com/paulgessinger/swift-paperless

draugadrotten1y ago

A workaround is to export the PDF to a network folder which is configured as the paperless-ngx "consumption" folder.

october81401y ago

Document scanning is built into Files and Notes.

wincent1y ago

1.3 MB download.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

81 comments

nesk_1y ago

Not sure how this compares to the scanner in the native Files app? https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/scan-documents-ios-files-ap...

macrolime1y ago

nesk_1y ago

I agree, but what’s the solution then? Creating a new app doing the same job? Or writing a tutorial to explain how to use the native scanner?

1 more reply

nrabulinski1y ago

TIL it’s in the files app. I always use the notes app for this. You can either long-press on notes and tap scan document or go into a random note, scan a document, and export it as pdf from there

mrunseen1y ago

I did not check the source code but scanning UI and outcome is exactly the same as native iOS scanner.

taco_emoji1y ago

In case anybody was wondering, you can also do this in Android via the Google Drive app. Click "New" and then "Scan".

dinnouti1y ago

There is a shortcut for the native scan within Files. I usually add to the Home Screen.

ornornor1y ago

I had no clue there was a scanner in the files app.

miles1y ago

Thanks so much for crafting and sharing this app. Was just chatting with a friend about scanning via Notes[1], which is a little clunky for quickly and seamlessly sharing a scan.

A few feature suggestions:

* Allow setting default color mode (having to switch manually to B&W every time adds another step)

* Allow setting setting type (PDF, JPG, TXT) and size (Original, Medium, Small) in Sharing Options à la Scanner Pro[2]

* Allow sharing immediately after scanning rather than first having to tap Save then opening the image again

[1] https://support.apple.com/en-us/108963

[2] https://readdle.com/scannerpro

chazeon1y ago

You can actually directly scan in the Files app from the triple dots menu in the upper right corner, this will allow you to directly scan as a PDF file.

toomuchtodo1y ago

I love Apple, but this is so Apple: hidden powerful functionality you'll only know about through word of mouth or intentional exploration in the UI.

4 more replies

manmal1y ago

And you can scan to any cloud provider that integrates with Files that way. Dropbox etc

nialse1y ago

Mind blown. Thanks for telling me about this gem.

lobochrome1y ago

And you can use the Shortcuts app to create a home screen shortcut for it.

1 more reply

wrs1y ago

With an iPad, just open Camera. If it sees a piece of paper, you’ll get a yellow Scan Document button without doing anything.

cromka1y ago

Also worth noting is that if you have a Mac, you can do the same from its Finder and a right click menu.

terraplura1y ago

zamadatix1y ago

Apart from being clunky Apple's Notes app has some just... odd limitations. E.g. you can only scan 24 pages in a note, because reasons?

theogravity1y ago

Congrats on the release. Open Scanner looks like a good alternative to the paid TurboScan (it's what I've been using for over 5+ years):

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/turboscan-pro-pdf-scanner/id34...

AiAi1y ago

Also have been using this for years (even knowing that there's this feature built-in in the Notes app).

bbor1y ago

darknavi1y ago

I am partial to QuickScan[1] as it is free and has no ads. It does not seem to be open source though.

[1] https://www.quickscanapp.com/

miles1y ago

post_break1y ago

It's funny how we tolerate Winrar doing that but on the phone it seems more annoying.

1 more reply

darknavi1y ago

Good point. I must have donated at some point because I use it often and don't remember seeing that.

1 more reply

sandreas1y ago

Does it support page dewarping[1] and 1bit color Palette PNG in PDF so shrink filesize[2]? I would love to See these features...

1: https://github.com/LittleTrickster/PDF-Doc-Scan/issues/17#is...

2: https://github.com/LittleTrickster/PDF-Doc-Scan/issues/7#iss...

dmd1y ago

This functionality is already built into the iPhone - in the Notes app, and also in the Files app. What does your software add?

thefourthchime1y ago

Why is my first thought that this has a clever backdoor to find passwords and crypto keys?

Obscurity43401y ago

Probably one of many

ein0p1y ago

Integrated, single purpose app. Most people don’t even know Notes has OCR. I didn’t until late last year, even though I’ve been iPhone user since the original came out.

pjot1y ago

The camera and photos.app has ocr as well.

Whenever im wanting to copy text on an app that hijacks the clipboard (LinkedIn/Slack) I take a screenshot, highlight the text, and copy as you would normally.

nashashmi1y ago

Try searching universally for stuff like invoice and you will get a copy of the invoices you have taken a picture of.

Google photos has a feature where it recognizes documents like credit cards and so you can search for them.

andrei-akopian1y ago

For Android I recommend "OSS Document Scanner" it is just as good as MS Lens and CamScanner in my experience.

- https://github.com/Akylas/OSS-DocumentScanner

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38848423

ryankrage771y ago

Awesome that it's free, open-source, and ad-free. My understanding is you have to pay to publish even free apps on the App store - are the devs providing this at their own expense?

ductionistOP1y ago

Dev here - we already have a developer membership from our other (monetized) apps, so releasing this doesn't cost us any additional money.

ThrowawayTestr1y ago

I thought it was only $100 a year

dxbednarczyk1y ago

What benefit does Open Scanner have over using the "Scan Document" iPhone shortcut? For sync/sharing I usually just AirDrop the scan to my Mac.

Starmina1y ago

Nothing if you like it that way.

yosito1y ago

iOS has built in document scanning. I never understood why I should install a third party app for that.

slaven1y ago

If you scan a lot of documents you would

yosito1y ago

I do scan a lot of documents. iOS is great at it.

nashashmi1y ago

“Hey siri, scan document”.

I guess you can provide an alt for people who didn’t activate siri.

october81401y ago

Just long click on Notes app. Or click the … in Files.

nashashmi1y ago

And found a third method: send a shortcut to home screen to scan document.

weinzierl1y ago

I will certainly give it a try, because I am not 100% happy with SwiftScan anymore.

The biggest threat to these kinds of apps is getting bought by one of the big app boutique shops and being neglected.

SwiftScan started as an ambitious project by a small shop of dedicated people, but since it has been sold it started to show some cracks.

chrisweekly1y ago

Related tangent: IF you already use Dropbox, FYI the Dropbox iOS app's scan feature is excellent.

tmaly1y ago

When it says it saves it to its own library, does this mean scans will not appear in Photos? Is there a way to clean up older files in the library?

ductionistOP1y ago

That’s right, scans don’t appear in Photos. You can delete pages or scans with the usual iPhone controls (swipe left to show the Delete button, etc.)

zeagle1y ago

I don't have an iPhone but thinking of switching from Android and my work flows. Can this sync saving to a SMB network folder so paperless-ngx imports it?

mmmlinux1y ago

iOS can connect to SMB and scan documents out of the box with the built in files app.

zeagle1y ago

That's great to know. Thanks!

teeray1y ago

I would love paperless-ngx export support for this

0XAFFE1y ago

There is Paperparrot[1] which allows to directly scan documents or add existing documents to your paperless instance from your phone.

[1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/paperparrot/id1663665267

tedcrilly1y ago

There’s also swift-paperless: https://github.com/paulgessinger/swift-paperless

draugadrotten1y ago

A workaround is to export the PDF to a network folder which is configured as the paperless-ngx "consumption" folder.

october81401y ago

Document scanning is built into Files and Notes.

wincent1y ago

1.3 MB download.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse