5 Office Gadgets And Accessories Your iPhone Can Replace For Free

When the iPhone was first released in 2007, it didn’t just set the bar for how people expected their mobile phones to look, but it also changed the way we used our phones entirely. Because of how it fits so perfectly into the Apple ecosystem, iPhones play a crucial role as the most mobile way to communicate among its connected products. This makes it perfect for people whose jobs require them to be on the go, such as those who travel for work.

Among the many reasons why people prefer the iPhone over Android, Apple is known to have stringent policies on its app store. Considering how it has a lot of great built-in apps that have features that rival even paid options, this isn’t that surprising. Throughout the years, Apple has thoughtfully added to its list of free apps that you probably aren’t using to its full advantage. And if you’re looking to make your days at work even more productive, some of them can even replace an arsenal of gadgets and accessories that once graced our cubicles. With these apps, you can save on subscriptions or physical tools and focus your budget on the things that truly move the needle.

While there’s still a benefit to having a physical scanner, especially if your work requires high-resolution images such as artwork, your iPhone can work just fine as a scanner for regular documents. Depending on your preference, there are actually multiple ways to scan documents on your iPhone. The most brute-force way to “scan” a document is just by using the camera app and simply cropping the image to remove the background.

However, if you want a more elegant solution, you can use your Files or Notes app. On your Files app, tap the three dots icon that is located in the upper-right corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, select Scan Documents. Alternatively, open your Notes app and create a new note (or open an existing one). In the lower part of the screen, tap the paperclip icon and select Scan Documents. Regardless of which option you choose, the apps will open a special camera with scanning-related features.

Once you take a photo of the document, you’ll have the option to retake it or proceed to adjust the corners and keep the scan. Afterward, you can keep repeating the process for all the pages you need to scan and tap Save when you’re done. If you want more flexibility with the output, there are additional settings when you scan. You’ll have the option to add or remove the flash and select if you want the scan to be colored, grayscale, black & white, or a photo.

Staying on top of your deliverables at work can be challenging, and it used to require you to juggle all kinds of notebooks that you would need to bring to different meetings. With your Notes app, you can sync your notes across different Apple devices, plus annotate with photos, videos, voice notes, and more. And well, if you’re the type to want to keep track of your thoughts and experiences at work, there’s also the iPhone Journal app. Since it’s integrated with all of your other iPhone apps, it fills in the gaps for what happened. If you’re being practical, it can be a great way to keep track of your progress on projects, specific feedback that you applied, or document work-related attendance to meetings or events.

Instead of a physical planner, there’s the Calendar app, which lets you keep track of your meetings, company holidays, and personal leaves. When you create an event, you can list the basic details, like the name, date, and time, plus repetitions if it’s a weekly cadence. But if you want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row, you can select whether it’s an in-person or online meeting, expected travel time, who is going to be joining, important attachments / links, and even notes. Apart from listing events, your Apple Calendar can be integrated with your Reminders app, so you have a more holistic view of both your schedule and deliverables.

Released in 2018, the iPhone Measure app uses its camera, built-in sensors, and, in some cases, its LiDAR scanner, to measure surfaces and test the level with augmented reality. Using this, you don’t have to borrow measuring tape to know if the white board you’re thinking of getting will fit your office’s breakout room. That said, our team did test the accuracy of the iPhone’s measuring app, wherein it was off by up to 5%. We deduced that several factors could lead to significant discrepancies. Apart from owning an older iPhone model, things like the angle, distance, background, and lighting can impact its accuracy. However, it can still be a good solution for those one-off projects that don’t need to be super precise.

While some jobs require heavy-duty Excel sheets with pivot tables, for which you’ll need to use a proper laptop, others only require simple calculations. With your iPhone, you can go from basic functions (plus, minus, divide, multiply, and percentage) to scientific calculations. You can even use your Notes app to make some quick math calculations. You can also use the calculator to convert currencies, areas, speed, temperature, time, volume, weight, and so on. Because of this, it’s an ideal companion for any business trips abroad, where you have to stay under budget in a different currency or they follow a different measurement system.

For some workplaces, there’s a revolving door of access depending on your clearance levels, whether it’s to authorized rooms or documents. Instead of having physical keys around, your iPhone’s wallet can let you store digital keys that you can use instead. Not only is it not prone to getting stolen, but it makes it possible to manage, even remotely. It will also be easier to track the history of people who have been given access if any problems arise. With compatible smart door locks, you can enjoy the benefits of the Apple Home Key. Although, you may need to download separate apps for some added features, such as managing access remotely, like adding or removing users or setting timed entries. Using the same NFC technology, you can also use your iPhone (and even Apple Watch) to lock and unlock compatible smart cabinet locks for confidential documents.

Similar to a physical wallet, you can store more than just your bank cards in your Apple Wallet, like tickets to events and boarding passes. With this, it takes away the need for printed files for any business trips as well, since they may accept digital files already. Apple has also rolled out the option to add your driver’s license to your Wallet. But it’s important to note that it does have limitations, such as not being accepted in every country or some establishments still requiring your physical ID.

While the art of networking is still an absolutely useful skill in every office environment, how we follow up after has evolved. In the past, we had to spend money on printing business cards and hand them out to people, hoping that they wouldn’t simply throw them in the trash after meeting you. Thankfully, you can skip the physical business cards with all the contact management features on your iPhone. These days, sharing contacts can be as easy as putting your iPhones together to use the NameDrop feature, which was introduced in iOS 17.

On the most basic level, there’s the built-in Contacts app, wherein you can combine their details across different platforms, from numbers, emails, and instant messaging apps, to social profiles. If you’re the type to mix up people, there are plenty of ways to add more context to your relationship. You can easily change their photo, list the company they work for, add their birthday, and pronouns. And if you don’t want to miss out on when they try to reach out, it’s possible to customize ringtones and text tones. But if you do need more, we’ve mentioned before that there are a lot of great iPhone contact apps that might be worth downloading. For example, if you’re still meeting people who prefer physical business cards, the AI-powered CamCard lets you scan them and add their information to your database.