Cloud sync: mirror your library to your own Drive or iCloud

Paper Scanner’s cloud sync mirrors the document library to a Google Drive or iCloud folder controlled by the user. The phone remains the primary location for all scans; the cloud serves as a backup that the user owns and can access independently.

Cloud sync is a Pro feature. It is not available on the free tier.

What the feature does

When enabled, cloud sync uploads scans to the user’s own cloud storage as they are saved. New scans upload in the background. Existing scans are uploaded during the initial sync run.

The bytes travel directly between the phone and the cloud provider. Paper Scanner does not operate a relay server, and no copy of the scans is held on Paper Scanner infrastructure.

Use cases

• Device replacement. Switch to a new phone, install Paper Scanner, sign in to the cloud provider, and restore the library from the cloud mirror. No cable transfer or third-party backup tool is required.
• Device loss. If the phone is lost or damaged, scans are preserved in the cloud mirror. The library can be restored on a replacement device.
• Cross-device browsing. Open the cloud folder in any browser to view scans organised by the folder structure set up on the phone. Files can be shared, attached to emails, or transferred to other applications from the cloud folder directly.
• Off-site backup. Maintain an independent copy of the document library for redundancy.

Configuration

1. Open Settings → Cloud in Paper Scanner.
2. Select Google Drive or iCloud. The provider can be changed later; both providers use the same sync engine.
3. Sign in to the cloud account. Paper Scanner requests the minimum permissions required — access to its own folder only, not to the full Drive or iCloud account.
4. Select which local folders to mirror. The entire library is mirrored by default; specific folders can be excluded if certain scans should remain device-only.
5. Tap Start Sync. The first run uploads the existing library; subsequent scans upload automatically as they are saved.

To disable cloud sync, toggle the feature off in the same Settings screen. Paper Scanner does not delete files from the cloud when sync is disabled. The cloud copy remains in place until the user chooses to remove it.

Permissions scope

Paper Scanner requests the permission scope required to read and write its own folder within Google Drive or iCloud. It does not receive visibility into other files in the user’s cloud storage, nor does it obtain tokens that would permit access to those files.

To verify, the user can review the connected applications list in Google or Apple account settings. Paper Scanner appears with access limited to its designated app folder, not to the full account.

Restore

Restore is a separate operation from sync. It is initiated manually when the user wants to rebuild the local library from the cloud copy.

1. Install Paper Scanner on the new device and sign in.
2. Open Settings → Cloud → Restore.
3. Select the provider and destination.
4. Wait for the restore to complete. A library of a few hundred scans typically completes in a few minutes; a library of several thousand takes longer. The progress bar reflects actual progress.

Restore is the only operation in which the app retrieves files from the cloud. It does not run automatically or in the background.

Switching providers and disabling sync

• Switching between Google Drive and iCloud. Disable the current provider, enable the new one, sign in, and the next sync begins fresh on the new side. Files previously mirrored to the old provider remain there until the user removes them.
• Disabling sync. Toggling the feature off stops new uploads. Files already uploaded remain in the cloud. The local library is unaffected.
• Re-enabling later. Disabling and re-enabling sync resumes from where it left off. Scans added during the disabled period will upload on the next sync run.

If cloud sync is not required

Paper Scanner functions fully without cloud sync. Scanning, OCR, folders, tags, and PDF export all operate identically with or without sync enabled. Users who prefer to keep everything on the device can use the share sheet to transfer files when needed.