Sign a PDF on your iPhone, free

How to sign a PDF on iPhone with Scanfone

1. Open Scanfone and scan the paper document, or import the PDF from Files or your photos.
2. Open the document and choose Sign.
3. Draw your signature with your finger. Scanfone saves it so you can reuse it next time.
4. Place the signature on the page, then move and resize it until it sits on the line.
5. Add text such as your printed name or the date if the form asks for it.
6. Save, then share the signed PDF by email or message, print it, or save it to Files.

Sign documents without printing anything

Somebody sends you a contract, a lease, a school permission slip or a delivery form and says "just sign and send it back". The old way was print, sign, scan, curse at the printer. With Scanfone you can sign a PDF on your iPhone in about a minute, and it costs nothing.

If the document arrives as a PDF, import it from Files, Mail or your photos. If it arrives on paper, scan it with the camera first: Apple's document camera finds the edges and straightens the page, so you get a clean PDF scan to sign rather than a wonky photo of your kitchen table.

Draw your signature once, reuse it everywhere

The first time you sign, you draw your signature with your finger. Scanfone keeps it, so the next PDF that needs signing is a tap away. Place it on the page, drag it onto the signature line and resize it until it looks like you signed with a pen rather than a paint roller.

Many forms want more than a squiggle. Use add text to type your printed name, the date, an address or a reference number next to the signature. Everything lands on the page itself, so the person who receives the file sees exactly what you see.

• Signature: draw it once, reuse it on any document.
• Text: add your name, the date or any short note.
• Multi-page: sign on whichever page needs it, or on several.
• Redact: hide account numbers or other details you do not want to share with redact before you send.

Free means free, including the save step

A lot of scanner apps are happy to let you sign. They just get shy when you try to export the result, and suddenly there is a weekly plan between you and your own document. Scanfone does not do that. Signing, saving, sharing and printing are free, with no ads and no account.

Free PDFs get one small line under each page, "Scanned free with Scanfone". It sits below the content, never over it. Scanfone Pro removes it, along with adding sync and a 1 TB backup, for $2.99 the first year, then $19.99 a year.

Your signature stays on your phone

A signature is personal, so it should not be floating around someone else's server. Scanning, editing and text recognition happen on your iPhone. Nothing is uploaded unless you turn on Pro sync, and Scanfone has no ads, no tracking and no analytics. If you keep signed contracts or ID copies, you can also lock them away in the Safe, a folder protected with a PIN and Face ID.

Want the full walkthrough with screenshots-in-words? Read how to sign a PDF on iPhone.

Things people sign with Scanfone

A quick note on what an electronic signature means: Scanfone places an image of your handwritten signature on the PDF. That is what most everyday forms ask for. Some documents, such as certain legal or government filings, require a certified digital signature or a wet-ink original, so check what the recipient accepts if you are unsure.

• Rental agreements and lease renewals
• Job offers, NDAs and freelance contracts
• School forms and permission slips
• Delivery notes, invoices and purchase orders
• Bank and insurance forms that still insist on a signature

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