Apple’s Preview App Arrives on iPhone with iOS 26
Apple has officially launched the Preview app for iPhone with iOS 26, bringing a powerful, built-in document editing and scanning tool that eliminates the need for third-party apps. This long-awaited feature combines the Files app, Markup tools, and the camera’s document scanner into one streamlined experience.
Key Takeaways
- Preview app now available natively on iPhone with iOS 26
- Combines document scanning, PDF annotation, and photo editing
- Offers seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem
- Android and Windows users have similar built-in alternatives
What Apple’s Preview App Can Do
Similar to its Mac counterpart, the iPhone Preview app handles basic photo edits and PDF modifications with ease. Key capabilities include:
- Opening and viewing PDFs or images directly from Files
- Annotating, drawing, and highlighting content with markup tools
- Adding text boxes or signatures to forms
- Cropping, resizing, or rotating photos
- Scanning documents directly from the camera
The interface resembles Apple’s screenshot editor, making it instantly familiar. Advanced tools like background removal are accessible via the three-dot menu, eliminating the need for additional editing apps. When opening PDFs, Preview automatically detects fillable text fields and enables quick signature addition.
How to Scan Documents Using Preview
The built-in scanning tool represents one of Preview’s best upgrades, offering fast, accurate document capture for receipts, contracts, and notes.
- Open the Preview app
- Tap “Scan Documents” from the home screen or the plus (+) icon
- Point your iPhone camera at the page and hold steady
- Preview automatically detects edges and captures the image
- Review the thumbnail and tap Retake if needed
- Tap the Blue Check mark to create the digital document
Saving and Exporting Your Documents
After scanning, you can save, rename, or share documents directly from Preview:
Save to Files: Tap the Share button and choose “Save to Files,” then select your preferred location (iCloud Drive or On My iPhone).
Rename: Tap the title at the top screen and enter a new name like “Receipt-Oct2025.pdf.”
Share: Use the same Share menu to send PDFs via AirDrop, Messages, or Mail.
To locate saved scans later, navigate to the Files app > Browse > On My iPhone > Preview > Scanned folder.
Alternative Tools for Android and Windows
Android Document Scanning
Android users running Android 6.0 or later can utilize Google Drive’s built-in document scanner. Since September 2025, Google has been rolling out an upgraded scanning experience with sharper previews, smarter cropping, improved shadow removal, and color filters.
- Open the updated Google Drive app
- Tap the “+” or camera icon, then select “Scan”
- Hold your phone steady for automatic edge detection
- Use crop, rotate, and color filter tools for fine-tuning
- Tap “Add page” for multi-page PDFs
- Review pages using the thumbnail carousel
- Save as PDF or JPG and annotate using markup tools
Windows PDF Annotation
Microsoft Edge includes a built-in PDF reader supporting inking, highlighting, and comments. However, it’s not a full PDF editor for text rewriting or page rearrangement.
For basic annotations:
- Open PDF in Microsoft Edge (right-click > Open with > Microsoft Edge)
- Use Pen/Draw tool for writing, drawing, or signing
- Highlight text by selecting it and choosing “Highlight”
- Add comments with “Add comment/text note”
- Save edits using the Save icon
For more advanced editing needs, consider these alternatives:
- PDF24 Creator: Free Windows PDF editor for merging, compressing, signing, and converting
- Xournal++: Open-source annotation tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Foxit PDF Editor: Professional cross-platform editor with full text editing and OCR
Final Thoughts
Apple’s Preview app in iOS 26 significantly simplifies document editing and scanning, bringing together familiar tools into one convenient location. The seamless integration benefits users who frequently switch between Mac and iPhone. For Android and Windows users, built-in alternatives like Google Drive’s scanner and Microsoft Edge’s PDF tools provide comparable functionality, making document management more accessible across all platforms.
This update represents another step toward Apple’s unified ecosystem where productivity tools work effortlessly together.
