When you need this
- A scanned PDF cannot be searched or copied from.
- You need the text of a scanned document for reuse elsewhere.
- You want to ask questions about a scanned document with AI.
- You received a faxed or photographed document rather than a digital export.
Steps
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Check whether the PDF has text
Try selecting a line of text on a page. If nothing selects, the document is image-only and needs OCR.
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Open the PDF in PDF JustFit
Load the document from Files, or send it to PDF JustFit from another app.
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Let OCR run
Scanned pages are OCR-recognised automatically, so nothing is left out of the document index.
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Extract the text if needed
Use PDF to text to write the recognised text out as a TXT file.
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Make it useful
Search the document, or ask questions about it with on-device AI chat, which now has text to work from.
OCR is part of the pipeline, not an extra step
In PDF JustFit, scanned documents are OCR-recognised automatically. That means a scanned contract or textbook chapter can take part in search and in AI document chat in the same way as a digital PDF.
From scanned pages to answers
OCR is what connects a scanned document to AI question answering: page images become text, text becomes an index, and the index becomes retrievable content for the on-device model.
On-device processing
According to the product description, OCR runs on-device along with compression, conversion and AI, and documents are never uploaded.
Privacy and limitations
OCR depends on image quality
OCR accuracy depends on the quality of the scanned pages. Skewed, blurred or very low-resolution scans are harder to recognise than clean ones.
Handwriting is not the same as print
OCR is designed for printed or typeset text. Handwritten notes are not the intended input for OCR, although they can still be added and signed by hand using the markup tools.
Frequently asked questions
How do I OCR a PDF on iPhone?
Open the scanned PDF in PDF JustFit. Scanned pages are OCR-recognised automatically, so the document becomes searchable and can be queried with AI chat.
Does OCR work on a photographed document?
OCR works on page images, so a document photographed or scanned into a PDF can be recognised. Accuracy depends on the quality of those images.
Does OCR run on my device?
According to the product description, compression, conversion, OCR and AI all run on-device in PDF JustFit.
Sources
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