Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about scanners, storage, privacy, platforms, and languages.

Do I need a hardware scanner?

No. On iPhone and iPad you can scan with the built-in document camera, including automatic edge detection and perspective correction. A hardware scanner is supported whenever it speaks AirScan/eSCL on your network. See Scanning with the camera.

Which scanners are supported?

Any scanner or multifunction printer that supports AirScan/eSCL over the network — the driverless standard used by most Wi‑Fi models from HP, Brother, Epson, Canon and others from the last decade. USB-only scanners and the old macOS Image Capture driver layer are not supported. See Scanning with a hardware scanner.

Where are my documents stored?

In folders you choose — iCloud Drive, on-device storage, or any Files-app location. PDFScanner Neo deliberately keeps no library of its own: the workspace is a temporary assembly area, and saving always exports a finished PDF copy. Your documents belong to you and your file system, not to an app.

Does my document leave my device?

Scanning, cleanup and OCR run entirely on your device. Data leaves it only when you export or share to a destination you chose — or if you explicitly enable Use Private Cloud Compute for Smart Save, which sends the first page to Apple’s servers where it is processed privately and never stored (off by default). See the privacy policy.

Is PDFScanner Neo a document manager?

No, on purpose. Neo is focused on one job: getting paper into clean, compact, searchable PDFs as quickly as possible. Organizing those PDFs is left to the Files app, Spotlight and whatever system you already use.

Is there a Mac version?

PDFScanner Neo is an iPhone and iPad app. On the Mac, use the original PDFScanner — the app Neo continues on mobile.

Which devices and OS versions do I need?

An iPhone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 26 or later.

Which languages does the app speak?

English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese. OCR is language-independent — it detects the document’s language automatically.

Does OCR need an internet connection?

No. Text recognition runs on-device with automatic language detection — nothing is uploaded. See OCR and searchable PDFs.

Can I open or edit existing PDFs?

With Pro, yes: Open loads a PDF (or PNG/JPEG/HEIC) as an editable document, Import appends pages to the current one, and password-protected PDFs prompt for their password. Editing means page-level work — reorder, crop, OCR, re-export — not text editing.

What is JBIG2, and should I use it?

JBIG2 is a compression method for black-and-white images that makes text scans dramatically smaller by encoding repeating letter shapes once. Use it for high-volume black-and-white archiving. It is a lossy method, so for guaranteed pixel-exact or standards-mandated archiving choose Create PDF/A-2u Archive instead — the two cannot be combined. See Saving and exporting.

Does Neo work with Siri or the Shortcuts app?

Not yet in the App Store version — automation support is being explored for a future release.

How is Neo different from PDFScanner for Mac?

Neo is a ground-up redesign of the 15-year-old Mac app around a mobile-first workflow: the same core promise — hardware scanners, a fast workflow, the smallest possible files — plus camera scanning, Smart Save with Apple Intelligence, and a modern save-preset system. It is a separate app for iPhone and iPad, with its own purchase.

How do I get Pro on my other devices, or after reinstalling?

Pro is a subscription tied to your Apple Account — install Neo, and it unlocks automatically (Family Sharing included). If it doesn’t show up, open the subscription sheet from any Pro feature to refresh. Manage or cancel under Settings → Manage My Subscription. See Free vs. Pro.