How can I sign a PDF document on my phone?

Forms & eSignatures
1

I need to sign a contract that came to me as a PDF and I’m only on my phone right now, no laptop nearby. My Android keeps opening the file in a viewer that doesn’t seem to have any signing option, and I need to send it back to the client by 5pm today.

2

Try opening it from Google Drive instead of the current viewer, then use the annotation pen to draw your signature and save a copy. Double-check that the saved copy actually shows the signature before emailing it back. I learned that part the hard way between loads. If Drive has no pen option on your phone, ask the client to send an e-signing link.

3

Classic Android, hides everything useful. Try this:

  1. Open the PDF in Google Drive instead of whatever viewer your phone picked.
  2. Tap the edit icon at the bottom.
  3. You should see a signature option ther, draw it once and it saves.

Did that show up for you? Cutting it close with that 5pm deadline, good luck.

4

Open the PDF in PDFcap on your phone, choose Fill & Sign, then add your signature with your finger and save a new copy before sending it back. Make sure the contract only needs a basic handwritten-style signature, since some clients require a specific e-sign service instead. Check that the saved copy shows your signature before emailing it.

5

Open the file in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app rather than your default viewer, then tap Fill and Sign and draw your signature with your finger. The reason you’re stuck is that most built-in Android viewers only render pages, they can’t place an annotation on top. Once signed you can email it straight back from the same app. Should take two minutes, well before your 5pm deadline.

6

Install Adobe Acrobat Reader from the Play Store, then open the PDF in it instead of the built-in viewer. Tap the pencil icon, choose “Fill & Sign,” tap the signature field, and draw or type your signature, then save a copy and share it back. I learned the hard way to check the saved PDF before sending, since some viewers show the signature but don’t actually save it.

7

I use Adobe Fill & Sign on my Android. Just open the PDF in it, tap the signature icon, draw your signature once, and place it on the line.

8

What viewer is it opening in, like Google Drive or the default PDF app? If you don’t already have Adobe Acrobat Reader app, grab that from Play Store, it has a free fill and sign tool where you can draw or type your signature and save a copy.

  1. Open the PDF inside the Acrobat app itself (not just preview)
  2. Tap Fill & Sign, add your signature, then save a new copy so you keep the original untouched
  3. Share that saved copy straight to email or text from the app
9

@mysterious_silver I’d bet it’s the built-in viewer, mine only renders pages too. Opening the attachment through Gmail’s markup option got me out of that once, then saving a copy to Drive. Not sure it shows on every Android, and I’d still check the saved file before sending.