How to sign a document on an iPhone

Signing a document on an iPhone is a straightforward process.

You have several options, depending on the format of the document (PDF, Word, image, etc.) and whether it is saved to your phone or you have received it as an email attachment.

Many people opt to use the iOS Mail app because it comes pre-installed on all iPhones. Gmail also has signing features. Apps like Adobe Acrobat and PandaDoc provide users with more functionality.

If you regularly deal with large volumes of documents, an advanced platform like PandaDoc, which provides in-depth tracking, signature certificates, and storage features, will likely be preferable.

Here are the most common ways of signing a document on an iPhone:

Sign email attachments directly in the iOS Mail app: This method is suitable for people that want to add a signature to a document without making any further changes.
Sign email attachments using the Gmail app: If you use Gmail on your iPhone, you can sign using in-app tools.
Sign with Adobe Acrobat for iPhone: You can download PDFs and sign them using the Adobe Acrobat app for iPhone. The benefit of this method is that it provides additional features for amending documents (such as adding notes).
Sign with a document management app like PandaDoc: Using a document management app provides advanced functionality. You can save files, send documents to clients for signing, and track recipient activity, among other things.

Let’s look at each of these methods in more depth.

Sign using the iOS Mail app

If you received a document as an email attachment, you can open and approve it in the iOS Mail app.

Follow the steps below to sign a document using the Mail app:

1. Open the attachment in the Mail app so you see a full preview. You may need to download it if it is an image file or scanned PDF document.

2. Select the Markup icon in the top right of the screen.

3. Select a pen to draw a signature on the document.

Alternatively, tap the plus button on the same menu to open additional signing tools (from here you can add a pre-written signature or create a new one that will be saved to your iPhone).

4. Tap Done to complete the process.

After finishing, you will be prompted to return the signed document to the original sender. This is probably the quickest method for signing a document on an iPhone.

Sign using the Gmail app

If you use Gmail as your email client, there are several in-app features for signing a document on an iPhone.

Follow the steps below to sign a document using the Gmail app for iPhone:

1. Open the attachment in the Gmail app.

2. Select the Share icon in the top right corner of the screen.

3. Select Markup from the menu that appears.

4. Use the draw feature to create a signature or select Signature from the menu of additional options accessible from the plus icon.

From here, you can select a pre-existing signature or save a new one to your iPhone.

5. Select Done and save the file to your iPhone using the files application.

To return the document to the sender, simply attach it to an email. It’s also worth noting that this feature is only available on the iOS Gmail app. Android users must use an alternative method.

Sign using Adobe Acrobat for iPhone

If you have a PDF saved to your phone, you can sign using the Adobe Acrobat app. Adobe Acrobat also provides additional document-editing features that can’t be found in Mail and Gmail.

Follow the steps below to sign a document using the Adobe Acrobat app for iPhone:

1. Open the document for signing using the Adobe Acrobat app.

2. Select the pencil icon at the bottom right of the screen and tap Fill & Sign.

3. Tap the Draw icon.

4. Select Create Signature.

5. Once you have drawn a signature, hit Done.

After completing this process, your document will be saved to your phone and available for use in the future. Adobe Acrobat is free to download but you will need to purchase a subscription to access advanced features.

Sign using PandaDoc

A tool like PandaDoc provides access to an advanced suite of features, including document sending, recipient tracking, and team collaboration. These features are not available in the tools specified above.

If you want to send a document for signing (alongside signing it yourself) and stay up to date with client actions, then a tool like PandaDoc is the way to go.

Follow the steps below to sign a document using the PandaDoc app:

1. Open the PandaDoc app and select the green Add icon at the bottom of the screen.

2. Select Files and open your document.

3. From the document view, select the black plus icon in the lower right corner.

4. Tap Signature, position the signature box,and select the small pencil icon.

5. Follow the on-screen prompts to create and add a signature.

6. Tap Finish to save the document.

You can choose to share the signed document as a PDF file if you wish to send it to another recipient. PandaDoc offers a long-term free plan that doesn’t carry any signing limits.

Manage your document workflows with PandaDoc

Tools like Mail and Gmail are useful for quickly signing documents. If you require access to more advanced features, platforms like Adobe Acrobat and PandaDoc, are worth considering.

Unlike most other providers, PandaDoc offers a large suite of tools on its long-term free plan. Users have access to a whole host of advanced features, including an intuitive iPhone app.

Quickly access and sign documents, track recipient behavior, and communicate with team members. You can even create documents on the go from within the app.

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