App to read PDF

PDF documents are becoming more and more popular. They are now widely used at school, at work, in daily activities and in many other contexts. If you have come across this article, however, it seems clear to me that you have not yet found an app to read PDFs that you like. Quite right? So I have to give you some good news: today I will introduce you to some applications that will allow you to consult PDFs on your smartphone and/or tablet without any difficulty.

Some of the solutions that you find reported below are 100% free and are compatible with most of the devices currently on the market, while others offer some more advanced features for a fee. Whether you have an Android smartphone or tablet, an iPhone or an iPad, you can be sure that you will find what is right for you.

Are you ready to start? Yup? Well, then I would say that you can get comfortable and focus on the information you find below. Therefore, identify the solution that you think can do the most for you and start using it immediately. I am sure that, in the end, you will be able to say that you are very happy and satisfied with the results obtained. What do you say, we bet?

Index

• Free PDF reading app
  • Google PDF Viewer (Android)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
  • Books (iOS / iPadOS)
  • Other apps to read PDFs for free
• App to read PDF voice
  • @Voice Aloud Reader (Android)
  • Content read aloud (iOS / iPadOS)

Free PDF reading app

Are you looking for free PDF reading apps for your Android device or iOS / iPadOS? Then immediately test the solutions you find below!

Google PDF Viewer (Android)

If you are looking for an app to read Android PDFs, I suggest you try the Google PDF Viewer. In reality, it is an application that should already be included “as standard” on all smartphones and tablets based on the mobile platform of the “green robot” (if not available it can be downloaded for free from the relevant section of the Play Store ) allows you to open and view documents in the format in question. It has no editing functions or other advanced features, so it only allows you to view files, copy notes, print, search text etc.

The Google PDF Viewer does not have an actual launcher icon: it runs automatically only when the user tries to open any PDF file from downloads or any other app. To use it, therefore, all you have to do is use the file manager on your device (eg Google files ) to reach the location where the PDF you want to view is located and, if necessary, touch the item relating to use of the viewer through the proposed menu.

After starting the Google PDF Viewer, you will finally find yourself in front of the document, located in the central part of the screen. At the top, however, you will find the name of the PDF file that has been opened and two icons: that of the magnifying glass that allows you to search within the text and the button with three vertical dots that allows you to access to settings to send the file, open it with other apps, print it, etc.

To scroll through the pages of the document, on the other hand, you just need to swipe the screen, while to increase or decrease the magnification level you just need to use the pinch to zoom.

Adobe Acrobat Reader (Android / iOS / iPadOS)

Another PDF reading app that I suggest you consider is Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is the mobile counterpart of the popular and popular computer program for viewing PDFs. It works on both Android and iOS / iPadOS and allows you to open PDF files, insert annotations, highlights, freehand notes, fill in forms and much more. Basically it is free, but to unlock all the functions a paid subscription must be taken (at a cost of € 10.99 / month).

To download and install it on your device, proceed as follows: if you are using Android visit the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button (if you are using a device on which the Play Store is not available, you can download the app via an alternative store ); if you are using iOS / iPadOS you must access the relevant section of the App Store, press the Install button, the Get button and then authorize the download via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password.

Subsequently, start the app, selecting the relative icon that has just been added to the home screen, then tap the Continue button and log in with your Adobe account, or create one at the moment by following the instructions on the screen. Then, open the PDF you want to write on, selecting it through the File section of the app (grant access permissions to the device memory, if required).

In the new screen that will open, you will find your PDF in the central part of the same. You can then freely read the content of the document and scroll through the pages that compose it by swiping the screen, while to increase or decrease the magnification you can use the pinch to zoom.

At the top of the display you will then find the toolbar on which there are the icon with the three dots vertically, to access all the Adobe Acrobat Reader functions, such as those to add bookmarks, print the document, save one copy etc .; the icon with the three connected dots allows you to access the sharing options; the one with the magnifying glass allows you to search the document, while the one with the sheets allows you to change the type of display.

At the bottom, however, there is the button with the pencil icon that allows you to access the functions offered by the app to insert comments in the document, fill it in and sign it and make changes of various kinds. However, every time you add a note to the document, remember to press the checkmark to save the changes you made to the PDF.

Books (iOS / iPadOS)

Do you have an Apple device available? In this case, before downloading any other application, you would do well to seriously consider the possibility of using Books: the PDF and eBook reader that is installed on all “made in Cupertino” devices (if the app is not available, can be downloaded for free from the relevant section of the App Store ).

It is in fact considered as one of the best apps to read PDF on iPhone as well as an excellent app to read PDF on iPad. A very important peculiarity of Libri concerns its perfect integration with iCloud: by saving a PDF file in this app, it can be found automatically synchronized on all devices associated with the same Apple ID.

To use Books, all you have to do is locate the PDF file you want to view, select it, tap on the share icon (the one with the square with the arrow inside ) on the next screen and press on the icon of the app located in the menu that opens.

After opening the PDF document in Books, you will be able to view its contents in the central part of the screen and you can read the file freely. Great, right?

To use the functions included in the app, instead, press the icons at the top of the screen. More precisely, by pressing the bookmark icon you can add bookmarks, by selecting the magnifying glass icon you can search for words in the document, by tapping on the Aa icon you can adjust the screen brightness and scrolling mode and by touching the pencil icon you can access the tools to edit, sign and highlight the file.

Other apps to read PDFs for free

None of the PDF reading apps that I have already pointed out has convinced you in a particular way and would you like me to suggest alternative solutions? No sooner said than done. In fact, below you will find listed other applications for Android and iOS / iPadOS that you can consider taking into consideration.

• Foxit PDF( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – this is a free solution that, in addition to including the basic features offered by any PDF file reader, also provides the user with some advanced functions, such as the protection of PDF files with certificates, protecting corporate data with Microsoft Intune, signing PDF documents with digital certificates, creating blank PDF files, merging multiple PDF files into a new file, etc. It’s free, but the extra features are accessible via in-app purchases (at a base cost of 11.49 euros).
• Xodo PDF( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – is one of the best free PDF file readers for mobile devices. It also offers some editing features that can be very handy (highlighter, underline, freehand drawing, etc.) and supports the synchronization of documents with leading cloud storage services.
• eReader Prestigio( Android ) – is a real eBook reader that allows you to read books and files in multiple formats: EPUB, EPUB3, FB2, FB2.ZIP, MOBI, PDF, HTML, DOC, RTF AND TXT. It also supports eBooks protected through the Adobe DRM system. In short, it is an excellent app for reading PDFs like books. It is free but offers in-app purchases (at the base cost of 1.09 euros) to unlock all the functions offered.
• PDF Expert( iOS / iPadOS ) – is an app able not only to read files in PDF format, but also to synchronize them online through the main cloud storage services and to make available to its users many useful tools to modify their content . Given its characteristics, it is therefore also an excellent app for reading PDFs and underlining. Basically it is free, but to unlock all the functions you need to subscribe to the appropriate subscription through in-app purchases (at a cost of 52.99 euros/year).

App to read PDF voice

Did you end up on this guide of mine because you are eager to find apps to read voice PDFs (then vocally reproduce the content of the documents of your interest)? I can also satisfy you in this. Below, in fact, you will find those that I believe to be among the best applications of this type, both for Android and for iOS / iPadOS.

@Voice Aloud Reader (Android)

If you’re using a smartphone or tablet Android, you should try @Voice Aloud Reader. It is a free app capable of reading aloud the texts present in Web pages, emails, eBooks and other documents, such as DOCX, RTF, TXT, EPUB, MOBI, PRC, AZW, FB2, OpenOffice documents and, of course, also PDF files.

To use it, download and install the app on your device through the relevant section of the Play Store (if you are using a device on which Google services are missing, you can download from an alternative store ), then start @Voice Aloud Reader, by tapping on the relative icon that has been added to the home screen.

Now that you see the main application screen, touch the icon with the folder and sheet at the top and select the PDF document you want to be read. Next, adjust the settings related to importing the text (you can choose to separate words when changing characters, to remove any headers and page numbers, etc.) and tap the Open file button.

Now decide how to manage the voices (you can set the reading language, the voice, etc.) and touch the button to confirm the choice made, which is located at the bottom; alternatively you can press on the button to change the pronunciation or on the button to add a language and/or a voice. If you see a warning appear asking you to download the necessary TTS voice, please agree to it.

Now that you are viewing the text of the PDF, start reading by tapping the Play button at the bottom. If you deem it necessary, you can increase or decrease the speed used for reading, using the double arrow keys .

In the upper part of the display, however, there is the toolbar with the button with the three points vertically that allows you to paste the text, add a bookmark etc., the one with the “T” and the symbol (+) that allows you to change the view of the document and the texts, the one with the sheet and the two arrows that allows you to reload the document, delete the contents etc. and the one with the magnifying glass to search inside the PDF.

Content read aloud (iOS / iPadOS)

Do you have an iPhone or an iPad and would you like me to suggest some apps to read PDFs with your voice for the devices of the “bitten apple”? In that case, I’m happy to inform you that you don’t need to resort to using third-party tools – you can do it all with the feature called Content Read Out Loud. This is a function included in iOS / iPadOS devices which, as can be easily deduced from the name itself, allows you to read the texts displayed and selected on the screen, and therefore also those of PDFs.

In order to take advantage of the aforementioned functionality, first of all enable it, by touching the Settings icon (the one in the shape of a gear wheel ) on the home screen and/or in the App Library, selecting the Accessibility item from the next screen, then that Content read aloud and turning ON the switches next to the words Read selection (to read the selected text) and/or Read screen (to read everything that is visible on the display). If you deem it appropriate, then proceed to adjust the various features offered by the service: you can change the speed of the voice, the type of voice, etc.

Next, open the PDF you want to be read orally, using Books or any other app to view documents of this type, then, depending on what previously enabled, if you want a specific portion of text to be read, highlight the latter. , pressing on the first word and, continuing to keep pressed, moving the cursor to the point of your interest. Then, select the item Read from the menu that appears, indicate the language to use and that’s it.

If, on the other hand, you need to read an entire page of a PDF document, swipe with two fingers from the top to the bottom of the screen and the reading will start immediately. Through the player you see appear on the screen, you can also adjust the playback speed, pause speech, etc.