ScanBasic support.

ScanBasic is a document scanner for iPhone. This page explains how each part of the app works, what ScanBasic does and does not do, and how to get help.

Scanning and importing

How do I scan a document?

Tap + in the library, then choose Scan document. The iPhone’s document camera finds the page edges, and you can scan several pages in one go. When you finish, name the scan and save it. ScanBasic makes a PDF on the iPhone and starts recognising its text.

ScanBasic uses the document camera’s own image enhancement. It has no extra filters or image-quality settings, and it does not send pages anywhere to be processed.

Can I import photos or PDFs?

Yes. Tap + and choose Choose photos or Choose files. Photos come in through Apple’s photo picker, which shares only the photos you select. Imported photos and PDFs join your library like a scan.

Can I add pages to a document?

Yes. Open the document, tap Document actions and choose Add pages to add pages from the camera, Photos or Files.

Search and recognised text

How does search work?

Type in Search documents at the top of the library. ScanBasic searches document titles and the text it recognised on every page, and highlights where it found the match.

How accurate is text recognition?

ScanBasic recognises text on your iPhone with Apple’s Vision framework. Recognition is set up for English first and suits clear printed text; handwriting and other languages may be recognised less reliably. A newly added page becomes searchable once recognition finishes. ScanBasic does not send pages anywhere for recognition.

Can I copy the text from a document?

Yes. In a document, touch and hold a page thumbnail and choose Copy page text for one page, or choose Document actions → Copy document text for the whole document.

Organising with folders and tags

How do folders and tags work?

A document can be in one folder and can have any number of tags. Touch and hold a document in the library and choose Organise… to pick its folder and tags, or create new ones there. Tap a folder or tag chip in the library to show only its documents, and tap Clear filter to see everything again.

To rename folders and tags or change a tag’s colour, tap the folder button at the top of the library to open Folders & tags.

Signing and markup

How do I sign a document?

Open the document and choose Document actions → Sign. Choose a saved signature, or tap Add signature and sign with your finger. Drag and pinch to position the signature, then save. After you save, the signature is a permanent part of the page.

Where are my signatures kept?

Saved signatures are stored in ScanBasic on the iPhone and sync to your other iPhones through iCloud with the rest of the library. Manage them in Settings → About & Privacy → Signatures. Deleting a saved signature does not remove it from documents you have already signed.

Can other people sign through ScanBasic?

No. ScanBasic offers self-signing only: you place your own signature on a document. It does not collect signatures from other people, verify identity or certify documents. Whether a signed document is accepted is up to the person or organisation that receives it.

How do I mark up a page?

Open the document, go to the page and choose Document actions → Markup this page. Apple’s markup tools let you draw, highlight and add text, and ScanBasic saves the changes into the PDF.

Sharing and password protection

How do I share a document?

Open the document and tap Share, or touch and hold it in the library and choose Share. ScanBasic prepares the PDF on the iPhone and opens Apple’s share sheet, so you can send it by Mail or Messages, AirDrop it, or save a copy with Save to Files.

How do I protect a shared PDF with a password?

Turn on Protect with password before you share, then enter the password. ScanBasic does not store or log the password and cannot recover it: if it is forgotten, the protected copy cannot be opened. The copy in your library stays unprotected, so you can share it again.

iCloud sync and Files

Do I need to set up sync?

No. When your iPhone is signed in to iCloud, ScanBasic syncs automatically through Apple’s CloudKit to the private database of your own iCloud account. There is no ScanBasic account. Every iPhone signed in to the same Apple Account keeps the whole library, including every PDF, and the synced data uses your iCloud storage. You can check sync in Settings → About & Privacy → iCloud sync.

Where are my documents in the Files app?

In the Files app under On My iPhone → ScanBasic. Each PDF there is named with an identifier rather than its title. ScanBasic does not use iCloud Drive, so your documents are not visible in iCloud Drive or on a Mac or iCloud.com. To put a copy of a document in iCloud Drive, share it and choose Save to Files.

What happens if I change ScanBasic’s PDFs in the Files app?

• If you add PDFs to ScanBasic’s folder, ScanBasic offers to import them into the library.
• If you edit a PDF in place, ScanBasic picks up the change and syncs it.
• If you delete a PDF, ScanBasic keeps the entry and marks it as missing. You can delete the entry or, when iCloud is available, download the PDF again.

What if I sign out of iCloud or turn iCloud off for ScanBasic?

The library stays on the iPhone and keeps working. Nothing syncs until you sign in again; then the changes you made in the meantime upload. If you sign back in to the same Apple Account, ScanBasic syncs the whole library again, and a document deleted on another iPhone in the meantime can come back.

What if I sign in with a different Apple Account?

ScanBasic uploads nothing to that account until you choose. A banner in the library opens iCloud sync, where you choose Add this library to this iCloud account or Keep this library on this iPhone only.

What if I delete ScanBasic’s data from iCloud in Settings?

The library stays on the iPhone and sync stops. iCloud sync then offers Upload this library again, and ScanBasic uploads only if you confirm.

What if my iCloud encrypted data is reset?

The library stays on the iPhone, and ScanBasic uploads it again from that iPhone to the same Apple Account.

What if my iCloud storage is full?

A banner in the library says iCloud storage is full. Changes are saved on the iPhone and sync when space is available.

Why does a document say it is too large to sync?

A PDF over 50 MB stays on the iPhone that made it. Its title, recognised text, folder and tags still sync, so you can find it on your other iPhones, but they cannot open it. If a later change brings the PDF under 50 MB, it syncs again.

Why does a document say Arriving from iCloud…?

When another iPhone adds a document, its details can arrive before its PDF. You can find and search it straight away, and it opens once its PDF has downloaded.

What if a PDF could not be saved on this iPhone?

iCloud sync offers Download missing documents again. It downloads every document’s PDF from iCloud again, so it can take a while on a large library.

App Lock

How does App Lock work?

Turn on App Lock in Settings. Turning it on asks you to confirm with Face ID or your passcode first. While it is on, ScanBasic requires Face ID or your passcode every time you open the app and hides its content in the app switcher. App Lock is set separately on each iPhone, and ScanBasic receives only whether the check succeeded.

Data and deletion

How do I delete a document?

Swipe left on the document in the library and tap Delete, or open it and choose Document actions → Delete. Deleting removes the document, all of its pages and its PDF file from the iPhone.

Does deleting a document on one iPhone delete it everywhere?

Usually. Sync removes it from iCloud and your other iPhones. If another iPhone changed the document before the deletion reached it, the change wins and the document is kept, so you may need to delete it again.

How do I remove everything?

• To remove the library from one iPhone, delete the ScanBasic app. The copy in iCloud stays.
• To remove the copy in iCloud, delete ScanBasic’s data from iCloud in the Settings app. Any iPhone that still has ScanBasic keeps its library and offers to upload it again; do not confirm if you want iCloud to stay empty.
• PDFs you have shared or saved elsewhere, and older iPhone backups, must be removed separately.

There is no ScanBasic account to delete, and the developer cannot delete anything on your behalf.

Contact

Send support questions to support@basicapps.com.au. Include the ScanBasic version and build shown at the bottom of About & Privacy, your iPhone model and iOS version, what you expected and what happened.

Do not send documents, passwords or screenshots that show private information.

Read ScanBasic privacy and the ScanBasic terms of use.