How to sign a PDF on Android for free

You don’t need a Play Store app or an account to sign a PDF on Android. Chrome (or Samsung Internet, or Firefox) can open the file, take a signature drawn with your finger, and save the signed PDF back to your phone.

Sign it in the browser

1. Open Sign PDF in Chrome and select the PDF from Downloads, Drive, or your file manager.
2. Draw your signature with your finger, or type your name and pick a handwriting style. A photo of a signature on paper works too.
3. Drag the signature onto the signature line and pinch or use the handles to resize it. Add the date if the form asks for it.
4. Tap Sign PDF and download. Chrome saves the file to Downloads unless you pick another folder.

You can let the browser remember the signature on this phone so the next document doesn’t start from a blank box. That stays on the device.

When someone else has to sign

If you’re sending the PDF to a client, a landlord, or a colleague, use Request signatures. Place a signature field (and name or date fields) for each person, then share each person’s link by WhatsApp, email, or any chat app. You get a status page that shows who has signed. When everyone has, download the finished PDF. Requests are kept for 7 days.

A few Android quirks

• Open the real file. A PDF preview inside Gmail is not the file itself. Use the download arrow, then pick that file in Sign PDF.
• One page at a time. Scroll the page thumbnails to reach a signature line that isn’t on page one.
• The download notification. If you don’t see the file, pull down the notification shade and tap the completed download.

A signature on a file that can still be edited can be copied off it. For anything you care about, keep your copy of the signed PDF, and lock it with Protect PDF if you’re emailing it on.