Google already provides a document scanner via Google Drive, but opening a cloud storage platform to just scan a document seems too much work. You probably would just open the camera and take a photo instead. You could also download a 3rd party document scanner app from the Google Play Store and use it to scan the documents. However, Google Pixels with Camera version 7.2 and above have a built-in feature that lets you scan a document. You do not need to open Google Drive or use a 3rd party app. The documents scanned via this method can be easily shared too. Here’s how to use document scanner in Google Pixel.
Use document scanner in Google Pixel
The option to scan a document on your Google Pixel was right under your eyes; you just missed it because you didn’t look for it or notice it. When you point the camera at a document, Google Camera detects it and shows a button that says Scan Document. It will detect the edges of the document and you can adjust it by dragging the circles. To put these in steps;
Step 1: Open the Google Camera app.
Step 2: Point the camera’s lens to the document that needs to be scanned. Make sure you are in a well-lit environment for the camera to identify the document.
Step 3: Get the camera as close as possible without losing focus. It’s better if the edges of the document are near the edges of the viewfinder.
Step 4: You will see a button appear in the viewfinder. The buttons have Scan Document written on it.
Step 5: Tap on this button. After two seconds, the camera will show a grid with adjustable corners. This grind is what Google Lens thinks are the corner of the document. Adjust the corners if needed.
Step 6: After you’ve done adjusting the corners, tap on Done located at the bottom left corner of the screen.
Step 7: You will see two buttons – Share PDF and Share Image. The first will convert the document into pdf which you can share via other apps or save it in the cloud. The second one will do all the same things but converts the document into an image rather than PDF.
Also Read:
- Reveal lock screen notification on Pixel 4 by looking at it
- How to Delete your phone number from Truecaller
- How to Schedule deletion of Google History
- How to Share VPN on Android
All articles say this is possible, but on my 4a I don’t get the “scan document” option show up. I am using Camera version 8.4. Did they remove the feature? I recall using this a couple years ago, maybe in my 3a.