Built-in phone apps open PDFs, but specialist readers offer extra tools
Most smartphones can open PDFs using built-in apps, so a dedicated reader is not essential if you mainly view documents. Specialised readers can make PDFs easier to read on a small screen and offer tools that matter when you need to fill in forms, sign, annotate, edit or create files.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format, developed by Adobe in the 1990s to share documents across different devices and software; it is now maintained by the International Organization for Standardization. iPhones include Preview, while Pixel and Galaxy phones can use Google Drive. The article advises checking that apps come from reputable developers and taking care before opening files, as PDFs and reader apps can be targets for hackers.
In short
- Built-in phone apps are usually enough to read PDFs.
- Dedicated readers help with signing, forms and annotations.
- Use trusted apps and be cautious with downloaded files.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Engadget as “What is a PDF reader and do you really need a dedicated one on your phone?”.