Several document scanner apps are available for smartphones, but those are usually watermarked or somewhat complex to navigate. So how do you take a professional-quality photo of a document and make the text within it searchable? That is where Google’s massive pool of innovators stepped up to create an app that can do exactly that. Keep reading to find out how the app works to help you get better organized.
Here’s the backstory
Google’s internal incubator program called Area 120 tinkers around with experimental projects and occasionally releases them to the public. One project that they have been working on is a better document scanner for Android phones. Using core functionalities of Google’s DocAI utilized by businesses, the team retooled it into an application called Stack. But what can this new scanner do? Well, not only does it use your phone’s camera for scans, but it auto-categorizes documents. That’s where the name comes from, as it gathers all similar documents into stacks. These stacks can then be searched to find text that you are looking for. Simply put, it’s not just an image of a paper document, but text-searchable as well.
Secure sensitive data
With our phones storing so much personal information, the last thing you would want is for somebody to stumble upon your scanned files. Stack has you covered in that regard, too, as it uses Google’s biometric authentication. It means that only you (or authorized people) can access your scans, view the contents of documents, or search for specific words. The app also bundles things like bills, receipts or invoices together through the stacking of files. In the case of bills, the app creates a section on the document where you can fill in due dates. That makes it easier to stay on top of monthly expenses. If you would like to give it a try on your Android phone, you can download the app from the Google Play Store. But you might want to hurry. Stack is still in development from an experimental department and could get pulled without warning.
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