# Scan & Scribe - Phone Docs OCR

> OCR app to convert scanned documents and handwritten notes to editable text. (iPhone/iPad app by Yasir Javed.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-and-scribe-phone-docs-ocr/id1003178723 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Yasir Javed](https://appshunter.io/developer/725198352)
- Category: Productivity, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 2.00/5 from 6 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 72 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-07-02
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-and-scribe-phone-docs-ocr/id1003178723/reviews.md

## What is Scan & Scribe?

Using Scan & Scribe you can convert your Printed/Typed Docs and Handwritten Notes (written in unconnected writing) to editable document that you can Copy, Save, Listen or Share via Facebook, email (Outlook, Gmail etc.), WhatsApp, Dropbox, OneDrive etc.

Its stand out feature is its separate offline OCR engines for  Printed and Handwritten contents.

It is simple to use:
1. Take a camera shot of docs or handwritten notes (or load it from gallery).
2. Crop and/or remove skew in the intended text in the snapshot.
3. For text extraction from the cropped image, remember to select Handwritten option for hand written texts and Typed option for typed/printed ones.
4. Review the extracted passage, make corrections if required. Incorrectly converted words will be highlighted.
5. You can now convert the text to speech for listening or save it for future use.
6. You can also share it via Facebook, email (Outlook, Gmail etc.), WhatsApp, Dropbox, OneDrive etc.

Remember:
1. If image’s text direction is not from left-to-right, rotate the image.
2. All other things should be cropped except the desired text passage to be converted.

In case of snapshot from smart phone camera:
1. Take desired snapshot i.e. paper, receipt etc. in bright environment.
2. While capturing image, avoid shadow of the phone and/or of any other object.
3. Properly focus the image in bright environment. Turn on flash if required.

At present, app does not properly support following features:
1. Pictures of text on the notebooks having lined pages or ruled paper.
2. Pictures having multi-color background.
3. Images of curved pages.
4. Languages other than English.

Acknowledgement: This app is the result of Pakistan's National ICT R&D Funded project "Smart Intelligence - An OCR Engine for Android and iOS Smart Phones" executed by Abasyn University Islamabad's Renzym OCR Research Group.

## Key features

- Convert printed and handwritten text
- Offline OCR engines
- Text-to-speech functionality
- Copy, save, and share extracted text
- Image cropping and skew correction
- Review and correct extracted text

## Recent user reviews (10 of 16)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-and-scribe-phone-docs-ocr/id1003178723/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Disgusting

*2019-08-22, version 1.3*

Wow wow wow!! I dont think i have ever writen a review but this app is soooooooooo bad! Beyond useless i mean no recognition at all. Needs to be taken off the app store

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2018-03-18, version 1.3*

Just shows a whole bunch of random letters.

### 1/5 — Stupid app

*2017-05-04, version 1.3*

It doesn't work. It can't read anything.

### 1/5 — Complete failure

*2017-01-17, version 1.3*

Simply not working at all on hand written material.

### 1/5 — Nope Nope Nope

*2016-11-22, version 1.3*

It for sure can't read my handwriting. So I thought, "Maybe it can read something that is typed." I was wrong. It can't read that either. This application is severely incapable of doing what it advertises.

### 1/5 — Review

*2016-09-27*

Doesn't work at all

### 1/5 — A Joke

*2016-08-20, version 1.2*

Can't even detect the single word "hello"

Converted it in to 4 pages of Rubish!!!

Worst OCR in history!!!

### 1/5 — Don't get this app

*2016-05-22, version 1.2*

It didn't come even remotely close to what I had written this is a terrible app don't get it

### 1/5 — An Absolute Disaster!

*2016-04-12, version 1.2*

Don't bother. The best success rate I've achieved is 25%. And that's with extremely careful handwriting... I pride myself on my neat and easily readable writing. Using MyScript Notes I get an average success rate of 97%.

The errors aren't even close. For example it read 'identity' as 'draft', 'documents' as 'doctor' and 'stealing' as 'stay'. It's not exactly quick either, taking 40 seconds to try to convert just 28 words.

Don't waste your time on this app, it'll just annoy and frustrate you.

### 2/5 — Needs work

*2016-04-05, version 1.2*

This app is a great idea.  The software just isn't there yet.  It couldn't really convert the pictures to text faster than what it would take to convert it yourself.  It also didn't display it in the font or format I was hoping it to do, nor did it give me the option.

## Frequently asked questions about Scan & Scribe

### What can Scan & Scribe do?

Scan & Scribe converts printed documents and handwritten notes into editable text. You can then copy, save, listen to, or share this extracted text through various platforms.

### Does Scan & Scribe support offline use?

Yes, Scan & Scribe features separate offline OCR engines for both printed and handwritten content, allowing you to extract text without an internet connection.

### How accurate is the text extraction in Scan & Scribe?

The app allows you to review extracted text and make corrections, highlighting incorrectly converted words. Accuracy can depend on image quality and the clarity of the original text.

### What types of text does Scan & Scribe have limitations with?

Currently, Scan & Scribe does not properly support text from notebooks with lined pages, multi-color backgrounds, curved pages, or languages other than English.

### What devices is Scan & Scribe available on?

Scan & Scribe is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices.

### How often is Scan & Scribe updated?

The latest version of Scan & Scribe is 1.3, which was last updated on October 11, 2016. Updates may be infrequent.

### What is the user rating for Scan & Scribe?

Scan & Scribe has a user rating of 2.0 stars from 6 ratings, indicating a mixed reception from its users.

### Does Scan & Scribe have ads?

No, Scan & Scribe does not contain advertisements.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.3 — 2016-10-11

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Word by word processing added, Tips added, Better result for disjoint handwritten text and some bug fixes.

### 1.2 — 2015-08-11

Bug fixes.

### 1.1 — 2015-07-22

Bug fixes.

### 1.0 — 2015-07-02

No release notes.

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## More apps by Yasir Javed

- [Ask Halal](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ask-halal/id1097473615)
- [ScanX - PDF Document Scanner With OCR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanx-pdf-document-scanner-with-ocr/id1123617187)

All apps by Yasir Javed: https://appshunter.io/developer/725198352

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*
