Signing a PDF on Android is straightforward, though the experience varies more than on iPhone because Android doesn't have a unified built-in PDF tool the way iOS has Files and Markup. The options range from dedicated apps to browser-based tools, and the right choice depends on how often you need to sign documents.
Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android
Adobe Acrobat Reader is free on Android and handles PDF signing well. Open the PDF in the app, tap the pen icon or go to the Fill & Sign menu, and tap the signature button. You can draw your signature with your finger on the touchscreen, type it in a signature-style font, or upload an image of your signature. Once created, tap the page where the signature should go to place it, drag to position, and resize using the handles. Save and share directly from the app.
The free tier of Acrobat Reader covers basic signing without restrictions. More advanced features โ like requesting signatures from others or creating reusable templates โ require an Acrobat subscription, but for personal signing needs the free version is sufficient.
Browser-Based Signing in Chrome
If you'd rather not install an app, WukongPDF's Sign PDF tool works in Chrome on Android. Open Chrome, go to the tool, and upload the PDF from your device storage. The signing interface works with touch โ draw your signature with a finger, position it on the document, and download the signed PDF. The file saves to your Downloads folder and can be shared directly from there.
Drawing on a phone-sized screen without a stylus produces a signature that looks roughly like what you'd produce with a finger on a contract โ adequate for most purposes, but not as precise as drawing on a tablet or with a stylus. If your signature involves fine details or you sign frequently enough that appearance matters, saving a clean signature image to your phone and uploading it is more consistent.
Samsung Notes and S Pen on Galaxy Devices
Samsung Galaxy devices with an S Pen have a significant advantage for PDF signing. The S Pen produces handwriting quality close to a real pen โ pressure-sensitive, precise, and fast. Samsung Notes and the built-in PDF viewer on recent Galaxy devices both support S Pen annotation and signing directly. If you have a Galaxy device with an S Pen, this is by far the best signing experience available on Android.
Saving Your Signature for Reuse
Redrawing your signature every time you sign a document is slow and produces inconsistent results. A better approach: sign your name clearly on white paper, photograph it in good lighting, crop it tightly in your photo editor, and save it as a PNG to your phone's gallery. When you need to sign a PDF, use the upload image option in whatever signing tool you're using and select that saved signature file. The result looks clean and consistent regardless of how precisely you can draw on a touchscreen.
Acrobat Reader and most signing tools remember signatures between sessions once you've created one โ you don't have to draw it fresh each time. After the first setup, signing a new document takes about thirty seconds: open the PDF, tap the signature field or choose where to place it, select the saved signature, position it, and save.