What you need to know
- Google is finally rolling out its new document scanning button in its Files app.
- This feature allows users to use their camera and its “auto capture” feature to digitize important documents, photos and more within the app.
- The “Scan” button arrives quickly behind the app’s redesign and its recent “Smart Search” function.
Google is starting to roll out a handy new scanner for digitizing documents within its Files app.
As he described in detail Mishaal Rahman on X, users reportedly started selecting a new “Scan” button at the bottom of the Files by Google app (via 9to5Google ). Tapping the new button opens your device’s camera, which has two recording modes: manual and “automatic recording”. When the latter is selected, the app informs users that “Files by Google will only have access to the images you scan.”
Users then have the opportunity to polish their scanned documents with several editing tools such as cleaning, cropping and rotating, and a recapture option.
After saving, Rahman states that the scanned document is converted to PDF and saved within the “Document” tab.
The feature has been seen available on various Google Pixel devices, however, our internal tests show that the feature is also appearing on the Motorola Edge Plus 2023.
The Files by Google app gets a new “scan” button that lets you digitize documents. Scanned documents are saved as PDF files in a new “Scanned” collection under “Documents” (actual location is /Files by Google/Scanned). As a document scanner in the Drive app,… pic.twitter.com/ve6lM49mL4March 7, 2024
Google rolled out a “scan” button in its Files app a month after the redesign. As 9to5 notes, the company has removed the bottom navigation bar, which previously housed the app’s “clean, browse and share nearby” options.
The Files application got a document scanner, bringing it closer to the Google Drive application. The feature was first spotted last December and showed the company using Drive’s GMS Ml-Kit Scanner for machine learning. The technology was previously said to help with the quick editing tools that users see after taking a photo.
Moreover, Google was initially said to have started rolling out a new app scan button last year. However, we’re actually starting to see it more widespread now that we’re in March.
Document Digitizer joins another previously teased file feature: smart search. Google said the feature scans the content of a user’s stored images and documents on their device to provide in-app search results. Smart Search is said to retrieve all stored images, PDFs, locations, objects, audio and video files you have.
More importantly, the company ensures user safety, stating that it all happens on your device and never leaves.