Scanning Documents with iPhone

Overview

OCRR allows you to use your iPhone or iPad as a scanner, leveraging Apple's Continuity Camera feature to capture high-quality document scans directly into the application.

This feature turns your iPhone into a powerful document scanner, with automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and multi-page support.

Requirements

  • A Mac running macOS Monterey (12.0) or later
  • iOS 15 or later on your iPhone or iPad
  • Both devices signed into the same Apple ID
  • Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled on both devices
  • Devices should be physically near each other

How to Use the Scanning Feature

  1. Open OCRR on your Mac
  2. Click on File → Import from iPhone or iPad and then choose either:
    • Take Photo – For capturing single images (Command+Option+P)
    • Scan Documents – For multi-page scans with edge detection (Command+Option+S)
  3. Your iPhone will automatically activate the camera app in the appropriate mode
  4. Position your document in the camera view – the iPhone will detect document edges in scan mode
  5. Tap the capture button or wait for auto-capture
  6. For multi-page documents, continue scanning additional pages (in Scan Documents mode)
  7. If necessary, you can crop the scan, apply filters, or retake the image for each page all on your iPhone or iPad.
  8. When finished, tap Save on your iPhone
  9. The scanned document will appear in OCRR and be processed automatically with OCR

Tips for Better Scans

  • Good lighting: Ensure your document is well-lit to improve scan quality
  • Avoid shadows: Position yourself to minimize shadows on the document
  • Flat surface: Place documents on a flat surface with good contrast (dark documents on light surfaces, and vice versa)
  • Hold steady: Keep your iPhone steady while scanning for sharper results
  • Check results: Review the scan on your iPhone before saving

Troubleshooting

If your iPhone doesn't activate when using the feature:

  • Ensure both devices are signed into the same Apple ID
  • Verify that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled on both devices
  • Make sure your iPhone is unlocked
  • Bring your devices closer together
  • Try restarting both your Mac and iPhone

If scanning quality is poor:

  • Improve lighting conditions
  • Clean your iPhone camera lens
  • Hold the iPhone steady during scanning
  • Try adjusting the distance between the camera and document

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