PDF Converter by Readdle

Thank you Readdle developers! PDF Converter for iOS is my Go-To app for all my PDF conversion needs. I’ve used this app religiously since I bought my first Apple iPhone 4S. If PDF Converter was around or available when the 4th generation iPod hit the market, I probably discovered It then. I’ve always known PDF Converter is a real gem, but, when Apple’s recent iOS 12.2 update disabled the, “Convert from Clipboard” feature, I realized I lost a diamond. A flawless diamond. Yes, I said flawless. PDF Converter is a simple, versatile tool that copies and converts text and images to “Editable” PDF documents both ‘to and from’ multiple apps and sources. PDF Converter also prints air printer output to scale. I especially appreciate its ease of use and compatibility with other apps. Ie., Adobe Acrobat CC, Voice Dream Reader and Scrivener. Thank you again, Readdle, for keeping up, or shall I say putting up with iOS updates for all these years. Despite ever changing technology, you’ve managed to keep the beauty of simplicity and versatility only found in PDF Converter!

The application, like it's cousin PDF Expert, is a will conceived productivity platform for surviving in the digital jungle. It works as advertised. The overwhelming number of positive reviews is a clear indication that this is a well-built application and performs almost to perfection. The browser addon allows you to convert smallish webpages to PDF format directly from your browser window. If the webpage is too large, the application will report the same and then prompt you to open the webpage in the full iOS app. I have never had a failure in converting a webpage within the full iOS app. The only downside is that the application seems to ask for you to write a review after each use. Readdle should consider implementing a feature that allows the end user to turn off the prompt asking you to write a review or that it should go away itself after asking a reasonable number of times.

Advantages: More options for making pages legible if they’re converted to PDFs (I use Goodreader). Much better for people with impaired vision. Most of the garbage present on many websites is stripped out, and what remains can no longer track you, collect data on your reading behavior, etc. Sensible pagination (unlike the native iOS converter, which often gives you one enormously long page). Tip to other users: if a page doesn’t convert from within Safari, copy the URL and then select Clipboard in PDFConverter. The page should then be converted without any problem Glitches (there are, however, workarounds for all of them): Occasionally bails during conversion. But when you relaunch the file will be there. Goodreader flags some of the files PDFConverter sends to it as in need of repair. No big deal, however, because the repair, whatever it is, always works. It’s awkward converting pages for which a password is required (e.g. by a unversity proxy for access to paywalled journals). You can’t paste the password in; the only option I can see is to use Copied or something like that in split screen and enter the password manually.

So, as an Air Force historian, I like to save news articles. They provide launching point for the 120 page histories that I write. But I like best about PDF converter is that you can convert as fast as you need to. I love the speed and the ability to convert webpages to Adobe PDF. The tweaks can come because it shuts down sometimes when you convert. Other times it doesn’t shut down. I think it should be all one way, or all the other way. Personally, I prefer it to shut down because it saves the webpage as a PDF before closes. By shutting down, it takes a step out of the whole process. I haven’t use any of the other functions because I like the primary function of this Application which is to convert everything to PDF. That is what it’s all about, and PDF converter does it well.

I have had this app for years and it has been reliable. My primary use has been to convert web pages and I like that it is so easy to do without having to open the app. If I then wish to open the document in a different app, I can do that from within the app. It can be frustrating that some web pages that have special formatting may not convert what you want to see, but I don't think that that's this app's fault but is inherent in the web page design. I also like that this has been around a while and looks to stay that way. Too many apps fail after a few years from lack of developer support. Hope they continue to enhance and improve it.