A fax is used to send data, text, or an image, in a matter of minutes to another person. Earlier, phone lines were widely used for this purpose. Now, we can also make use of fax apps to send or receive a fax from our smartphones.
Interesting Fact
The invention of the fax precedes the invention of the telephone. The fax was invented in 1843 by Alexander Bain, a Scottish inventor. The telephone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Bell.
A fax is basically used to send large amount of data over long distances within a few minutes. This data may include text or images. It was not only a more convenient medium to send information over long distances, but also much faster than sending mails through the post. A fax sends a string of 0s and 1s over the communication channel to signify the information. For white parts of information, a 0 was used, while to signify a black part of information, a 1 was used.
Off late, digital fax is being used a lot, with the advent of digital communication channels. For this, the data to be sent is scanned and the file containing text or an image is then sent over to an email address. From this email address, the fax is then forwarded to the desired destination platform. Digital communication has helped in allowing transfer of faxes on cross-platforms as well. This means that, a fax can be sent or received by a fax machine that is received or has been sent from a computer or smartphone. Using phones or computers provides portability to the fax system, as these devices themselves have become portable. This has made the fax system more versatile in recent years. There are many apps that can be used on smartphones for sending or receiving faxes. Here are 7 of the best that you can download and use. And what’s more, these apps are free to download.
iFax
This app has been developed by Crowded Road. This is one of the best fax app for iPhones.
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GOOGLE PLAY
WINDOWS PHONE
eFax
This app has been developed by J2Global Inc.
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GOOGLE PLAY
JotNot Fax
This app has been developed by MobiTech 3000 LLC. It has been developed specifically for iPhones.
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Fax App
This app has been developed by Faxonline. This has been developed only for Android Devices.
GOOGLE PLAY
FaxFile
This app has been developed by Actual Software Inc.
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GOOGLE PLAY
Here are some advantages of using a fax app on your smartphone.
Cloud Access
These fax apps provide synchronization with cloud services. This helps users store their fax on cloud-based services like Dropbox, iCloud, and Google Drive. This allows users to access the files received in the fax from anywhere and any platform, along with editing and faxing them again. This service also enables users to print their fax from remote locations.
Personalization
Fax apps provide users with options that will help them customize their fax. There is also an option to add a cover letter to a fax. Also, users can add their logo and signature too. Apps like eFax allows users to add a digital signature. There are various options available to choose a template from.
Scanning
To scan documents, the camera of a smartphone or a tablet can be used. Breezy – Print and Fax is used for printing the received fax. There is no option provided in this app to send a fax. However, this app can also be used to prepare the document to be faxed through the scan feature provided.
Cost
Most of the fax apps do not charge their users for receiving their fax. iFax, however, has no such facility. Users are charged with a flat rate for the period of their subscription. To send a fax, users are charged based on the pages they send. Some apps provide users with credits that need to be purchased. Users are charged through in-app purchases. Every user is provided with a dedicated fax number.
Most people nowadays have Internet and email access on their smartphones or computers. Sending any kind of document, text, or image through these is economical and more convenient than using a fax. In such a scenario, the fax has become an outdated concept. There are however some institutions that insist on and rely on faxes for communication. In such a case, these fax apps are a convenient option to fall back upon.