How to Redact a PDF on an iPhone? (3 Ways)

If you have a document with sensitive information, you can hide the sensitive text, and this processing is called Redaction. Redacting a document can protect sensitive information and sharing the document. If you want to know how to redact a PDF on an iPhone, we have 3 proven ways to redact a PDF below. You can use any method depending on the access and feasibility. However, redaction is permanent to remove the content is the PDF, which can be a problem if you want to revert the changes. We will introduce you to UPDF, a PDF editing app that can be used to hide sensitive information that can be unhidden when possible. You can download UPDF right now to follow along.

Part 1. Redact PDF on iPhone with XODO

XODO is one of the PDF redacting apps you can install through the Apple App Store. To redact PDF using this app, follow these steps.

Step-1. Install the XODO app from the Apple app store and open the app.

Step-2. Add the file to the app by using the “+” button.

Step-3. Tap the “Toolbox” at the bottom to open the tools. Select “Redact PDF” from the list of tools.

Step4. Browse the file you want to redact.

Step-5. At the top of the window, you will see two small boxes. The one on the right will let you select text to redact. The left box will let you draw an area for redaction. At the bottom of the screen, you will be able to pick the color.

Also, depending on which color you pick, an arrow will appear next to it. Tap the arrow to open the menu which will let you choose the stroke color, fill color, opacity, and overlay text.

Step-6. Depending on which option you pick, text selection, or draw an area, you will see text or area boxed. Once done with the selection, click the “Finish” button. This will redact the text or area you selected earlier.

Part 2. Redact PDF on iPhone with PDF Expert

PDF Expert is another app you can use to redact PDF content. One of the biggest drawbacks is that you have to get at least the free subscription for five days without which, redaction cannot be accomplished. Nevertheless, to redact the PDF using PDF Expert, follow these steps.

Step-1. Install the PDF Expert app and open the app. Use the “+” button at the bottom right corner to browse and add your PDF file to the app.

Step-2. Tap the “Tools” icon at the bottom of the screen. Scroll down the grid of tools, and tap the “Redact PDF” icon.

Step-3. Browse and select the file you want to redact.

Step-4. Tap and drag over the text and the area will get redacted straightaway. You can exit the document and the changes will be saved automatically.

Part 3. What Problems to Redact PDF

One of the biggest problems with redaction is that the process is irreversible. Once the text or certain section is redacted, it is removed forever. The methods mentioned below allow hiding the text without removing it permanently and is therefore a great solution to the problem with redaction.

Part 4. How to Hide Text in PDF with UPDF?

UPDF for iOS is a great alternative if you do not want to lose the content by redaction completely. With UPDF you can hide the information you want to hide and then revert it if you want to. Plus, it has so many great features. Once you have redacted or hidden the information you may want to use the UPDF for:

• Sharing the PDF file using an email. If the file is too heavy you can split it using the UPDF app to make it smaller or extract certain pages to share separately.
• Add any comments, and watermarks, edit any text or images, add signatures, and organize pages.
• You can also combine two or more separate files.
• UPDF has integrated AI which can be used to Chat like a Chatbot but also chat with a PDF file. You can ask questions about the content in the file and also translate, summarize, and explain any content.  

You can download the UPDF app right now and get a subscription. The good thing is that UPDF is five times cheaper than the other flagship PDF editors like Adobe Acrobat but delivers the same features. Also, you can use the same subscription on other devices and platforms like Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. So, Download the UPDF app right now by the below button or through the app store.

To hide the text or any information in UPDF follow these steps.

Step-1. Install the UPDF app through the app store and open the app.

Step-2. Add the PDF file to the app by tapping the “+” button on the screen and browsing through the folders.

Step-3. Open the file. You will see some annotation tools on the top of the screen. Click on the “Highlighter” icon. From the bottom tool list, tap on the “Markup” icon, second on the list.

Step-4. From the markup tools at the bottom, tap the “H” icon.

Towards the right end, there is a “Color” icon, tap to pick the color for hiding the text.

Step-5. Now tap and drag over any sentence to hide the text. Once you are done, tap the “Home” icon in the top left corner to exit the file. The changes will be saved automatically.

You can download the UPDF app on your phone right now. To learn more about the UPDF app, check out the YouTube video below. You will be amazed by all the features UPDF has to offer at such a cheap price that you would want to upgrade to the pro version to get full access to all the tools. 

Part 5. Redact PDF on iPhone with Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat app can also be used to hide the text in PDF. The app can be downloaded from the Apple app store. The price for the subscription is high which can be a turnoff if you do not use PDF that often. But if you already have the license for this tool, you ca hide PDF text or area using Adobe Acrobat by following these steps.

Step-1. Using the App Store, install the app and open it. Using the “+” button on the screen, add the file to the app.

Step-2. Open the file and tap on the “Highlight” tool to select.

Step-3. Tap the first icon on the bottom pane, “marker”. Towards the right end of the bottom panel, tap the “color” icon to pick a color. Usually, black works well for hiding something completely.

Step-4. Tap and drag over the text to hide the text. Then tap the “Done” button on the top to save the changes.

Also Read: UPDF vs Adobe Acrobat: Which Tool is Better? 

Final Words

After reading this article you know how to redact a PDF on iPhone using one or another method. Some apps are hardcore redaction apps; however, this may lead to permanent loss of information. Hiding the text is a better option. Among the two methods suggested as you may have realized too that UPDF is much better and cheaper option. Install UPDF right now and get the premium prescription to use all the advanced features.