GUIDE

How to Scan a Business Card on iPhone

The iPhone has no business card scanner, but Live Text in the Camera app can read a card. Point the camera at it, tap the Live Text button and add a phone number or email to a contact. To get the whole card in one step, use a business card scanner such as the one in Starrise Contacts Pro.

Updated October 2026

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With Live Text in the Camera app

Open the Camera app and point it at the business card until the text is outlined.
Tap the Live Text button in the corner of the frame.
Touch and hold the phone number or email address and choose to add it to a contact. Or select text and copy it.
In Contacts, check the new contact and fill in the name, company and other details.

Limits

You add one detail at a time and type or paste the rest.
Scanning the card as a document in the Notes app saves a picture or PDF, not a contact.

The easier way with Starrise Contacts

The business card scanner in Starrise Contacts Pro turns a card into a contact in one step: point your camera at the card, tap to confirm, and the details land in the right fields as a new contact, on iPhone and iPad. See the business card scanner.

The new contact is saved in your own address book, with no account.
Date, time and location are saved, so you remember where you met.
Add a dated note with what you talked about, and a to-do to follow up.

Tips

Scan the card right after the conversation, while you remember what it was about.
Use good light and hold the card flat for the best result.

Sources

Steps checked in October 2026 against Apple’s iPhone User Guide.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does iPhone have a built-in business card scanner?

No. Live Text in the Camera app can read the text on a card, and you can add a number or email to a contact from there, but it doesn’t create a full contact in one step.

Where are scanned business cards saved?

With the scanner in Starrise Contacts Pro, the card becomes a new contact in your address book, in the account you use for new contacts.

Is the business card scanner free?

It is part of Starrise Contacts Pro, which costs $0.99 per month or $5.99 per year in the US. Live Text in the Camera app is free and built in.

GET STARRISE CONTACTS

Try Starrise Contacts for free

Starrise Contacts works on the contacts already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. No account, nothing to import. Free to download, with an optional Pro subscription.