QuickScan is in v8.3! My 100% free iOS scanner with OCR (text recognition) has received a major update. Still NO ads, NO data collection and donation-based. Now featuring Export Groups, Control Center controls, and more.
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🎄👋 Back in 2020, during lockdown, I created QuickScan - a free iOS scanner with OCR - to help people who cannot afford the right tools to...
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The original was posted on /r/apple by /u/yellow8_ on 2024-12-15 06:55:09+00:00.

Original Title: QuickScan is in v8.3! My 100% free iOS scanner with OCR (text recognition) has received a major update. Still NO ads, NO data collection and donation-based. Now featuring Export Groups, Control Center controls, and more.

🎄👋 Back in 2020, during lockdown, I created QuickScan - a free iOS scanner with OCR - to help people who cannot afford the right tools to study/work from home. Several years ago I posted here about v4, which introduced a brand-new user interface and laid the foundation for many features. Since then v5 and v6 brought widgets, shortcuts, improved OCR, automation, and a lot more. Then v7 introduced the so well received (and useful) Export Favorite feature, and the ability to sign documents. Last year, v8 added Folders, integration with paperless-ngx, and much more.

Thank you all for the incredible feedback so far!! This is amazing!

Link to QuickScan v8.3 on the App Store ⬅️

Today, I’d like to talk about the freshly released v8.3. I put a lot of work into it, motivated by all your nice feedback.I believe now, more than ever, that it can compete with the expensive scanner apps out there. But of course, you’ll be the judge of that. Anyway, it’s still free, without any ads and without any data collection. Everything happens on your device.I supported the development costs myself, with the help of donations by generous users.

What’s new in v8.3:

  • Scan from Control Center, lock screen and action button: the new control for the Control Center lets you initiate a scan from multiple places. Optionally configure an Export Favorite, for immediate processing and export of the document after scanning.
  • Export Group: an Export Group is a favorite composed of multiple Export Favorites, allowing you to export to multiple destinations at once. Of course, just like an Export Favorite an Export Group can also be associated to a Widget/Shortcut/Control, for immediate export after scanning
  • PDF dimensions improved: if you are one to configure the physical size of your PDF files, much more flexibility has been added to this feature
  • UX & UI: Tons of small design improvements make the app feel faster and more modern.
  • Foundational updates for even greater features to come (sounds like nothing, but it means that I have exciting stuff coming for the future 😊)
  • Now also in Dutch 🇳🇱 and Italian 🇮🇹

Automation Showcase

I’d like to tell you a bit more about the advanced automation features, with a great example illustrating the possibilities: You can now accomplish an end-to-end process:

Scan your document → Press Save → Done! Document is processed and exported!

Your document is automatically:

  1. OCR’d, with the recognized text integrated into the created PDF (search/select/copy&paste in the PDF)
  2. named based on a predefined pattern
  3. transformed into black&white/grayscale/colors/…, wotj resolution/quality adjusted
  4. uploaded to your favorite location (or multiple locations, using an Export Group)
  5. optionally deleted from your scan list on your device, or placed in a preconfigured folder in QuickScan…

➡ and all this happened by just pressing ‘Save’. That is a real time saver.

And with ‘Scan To’ widgets/shortcuts/controls:

  • Configure a widget/shortcut/control to be associated with an Export Favorite (or Export Group)
  • Start a scan using a specific widget/shortcut/control
  • All the automation described above will be done according to the Export Favorite associated to the widget/shortcut/control

Example : Scan To work, Scan To my family drive, Scan To receipts, Send by mail to my boss…

QuickScan key features are:

  • Scan with your device’s camera (with automatic edges detection and automatic angle correction)
  • Import existing PDF (from Files) or existing photos (from Files/Photos) or from any app (QuickScan integrates into the iOS Share Sheet). You can even combine them (also with scans) into one document. You can also reorder the pages with a nicely animated Drag & Drop. QuickScan can detect edges and deskew any imported image.
  • Recognize text (OCR) on anything (scans / photos / PDF). Language can be detected automatically.
  • Integrate the recognized text into the exported PDF such that it becomes searchable (search/select/copy & paste) when you open it with any PDF reader. Yes!!
  • Scan history: the app keeps (on device) a list (with optional folders) of your previous scans such that they remain available for whenever you need them. With the recently deleted section, you avoid deleting precious scans by accident.
  • Export to .TXT (text), .JPG (images), or to searchable .PDF (as detailed previously)
  • PDF password protection: protect your PDF with a password. Anyone trying to open the file needs the password.
  • Automatic file naming: configure a pattern with date/time/text/counter that suits your needs, and your scans will be named accordingly
  • Apply filters (colors, grayscale, B&W, size, compression) on images and instantly preview the output file size. You can also crop / rotate the pages.
  • Document enhancer: improve scan quality for documents by removing shadows, making text sharper and more visible, …
  • Preview the OCR results and copy them to the pasteboard
  • Create Export Favorites, such that when you export the scan, it directly saves it in the configured folder (or email) with specific settings. This one is a real time saver.
  • Export Groups: an Export Group is a favorite composed of multiple Export Favorites, to export to multiple destinations at once
  • Cloud upload: iCloud Drive/Dropbox/OneDrive/Google Drive/WebDAV/pCloud/NAS (Synology, Nextcloud…)/SMB/SD/Email/paperless-ngx… and more via WebDAV (DEVONthink…)
  • Configure the PDF print size (A4, US Letter, …)
  • Home & Lock screen widgets / Siri Shortcuts / Control Center controls that can be configured with an Export Favorite, or interactive widget to choose the Favorite right from your home/lock screen
  • Automation (auto-export, auto-delete, auto-smart-filename, …)
  • Signatures (sign documents on the fly with preconfigured signatures)
  • Document & signatures protection with Face ID / Touch ID
  • Privacy first: zero data collection policy: Everything happens locally, on your device. No server. Your data is safe and your privacy matters.

It’s built for, and only for iOS. This makes the experience of using it so much better.

I hope you like the app, and that it will continue to reach the people in-need for a free scanner for their studies/work/whatever. The in-app purchases are donations, for the people who can afford to support the project ☺️. And yes - because some will ask - there are some incentives in the app to donate (like changing the app colors or disabling donation demands. All are non-essential.). Why? it’s been 4.5+ years of development, and the great majority of the costs are on me, the rest comes from donations. Help on that part is consequently very much appreciated.

Your feedback & support is VERY welcome, I love and will continue to improve the app based on your amazing suggestions. Was my post too long? I understand, then just test the app and tell me what you think ☺️.

Link to QuickScan v8.3 on the App Store ⬅️

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year🎄, and can’t wait to bring more updates to the app (I am already at work!).