Papyrion: PDF Scanner & OCR

Tap Scan and point the document camera at each page — the app captures one page after another. You can also import existing pictures from Photos or files from the Files app. Afterwards, review the pages: reorder, rotate, re-crop and filter them, give the document a title, and save it to your library. From there, export it as PDF, JPEG, or text.

Yes. Scanning, text recognition, search, and export all run locally on your device — your pages and recognised text never reach us. There is no account and no Papyrion cloud. The only things that ever leave the device are what you explicitly share or print, documents you choose to upload to your own ownCloud / OpenCloud server (see below), plus anonymous usage statistics if you opt in under Settings → Privacy → Share usage data (off by default). See the Privacy Policy for details.

It is never a subscription. Scanning, filters, standard-quality export, and the library are free. Papyrion Pro — on-device text recognition, full-text search, folders, high-resolution export, naming templates, the app lock, and automatic upload to your own ownCloud / OpenCloud — is a one-time purchase (currently €9.99; the exact price is shown in the app). No trial that renews, no ads.

Open the paywall and tap Restore Purchases; that re-reads your receipt from the App Store or Google Play and restores Pro on any device signed in to the same account. If that does not work, email us your store receipt at papyrion@auronet.de and we will sort it out. Refunds themselves are handled by Apple or Google under their policies.

Recognition needs the Pro unlock and works best on flat, evenly lit pages. Check Settings → OCR language matches your documents (Auto follows your device language; German and English are supported). Pages that failed show a retry option in the document view, and re-cropping a page re-runs recognition for it. Handwriting, tiny print, glare, and creases remain hard — always verify amounts, dates, and names against the original.

Every document exports as PDF (searchable when OCR is done), as JPEG images, and — with Pro — as a text file. Page size (A4, Letter, Auto) and quality (up to 300 DPI with Pro) are chosen on the export screen, which also shows an estimated file size before building. Export hands the file to the system share sheet or the print dialog — nothing is uploaded anywhere by us.

With Pro, open Settings → Cloud upload, pick your server type, and enter the server address (for example https://cloud.example.com), your username, and an app token. Create the token on your server: in ownCloud under Settings → Security (new app passcode), in OpenCloud under Account settings → App Tokens. Then choose a target folder. Every new scan is uploaded as a searchable PDF once text recognition and naming are done — by default only over Wi-Fi. Existing documents can be queued with Upload existing documents.

Papyrion never overwrites a file on your server: if the name is taken, it adds (2), (3), … Documents go directly from your phone to your server over HTTPS; we never see them or your token. If the app says your server doesn't accept app tokens, your administrator has to enable them first (on OpenCloud and ownCloud Infinite Scale this is the auth-app service). Only secure https:// addresses with a valid certificate are supported.

Everything lives in the app's storage on your device: page images, recognised text, titles, and folders. Delete documents or folders inside the app to free space, or uninstall the app to remove everything it holds (see the next question before you do). Files you exported elsewhere (photo library, Files, printouts) stay where you put them until you delete them there.

They are deleted. Papyrion has no account and no Papyrion cloud, so your library exists only inside the app on this device. Uninstalling removes it, and reinstalling starts with an empty library — we have no copy we could restore. The same applies if you lose or reset your phone. A full device backup (iCloud / Finder on iPhone, Google backup on Android) may bring app data back when you restore the whole device from it, but don't rely on that.

To keep a document safe, get a copy out of the app: export it (for example Save to Files, AirDrop, or email) or, with Pro, let it upload automatically to your own ownCloud / OpenCloud. Documents that were never shared, exported, or uploaded carry an Only on this device label in the library, so you can see at a glance what would be lost. Your Pro purchase is not lost: after reinstalling, tap Restore Purchases.

With Pro, Settings → App lock asks for your device biometrics or device PIN whenever the app starts or returns to the foreground. Authentication happens entirely in the operating system — we never see it and nothing leaves your phone. If you remove biometrics and your PIN from the device, switch the lock back off in Settings.