Acrobat Reader

After installing, the quickest test is to open a PDF from where it already lives. The app reads files from your phone, email, Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, so you do not need to move anything first. You can also set Acrobat Reader as the default PDF app, which means PDFs from email or your browser open straight in it.

For long documents, try Liquid Mode, which reflows the text to fit the screen. Starred files give you quick access to important documents, and the app can store and manage files too. If you scan paper with the free Adobe Scan app, those scans can be opened here to fill in, sign and share.

The free tier handles the everyday paperwork jobs. You can highlight text and add comments and sticky notes, which suits students marking up readings. Fill & Sign lets you complete PDF forms and sign with a finger on the screen. Sharing happens directly from the app.

Adobe says reading, filling in and signing do not require a subscription. The Android-specific extra is listening to PDFs through Android Auto for hands-free reading on the road.

Heavier editing moves to Acrobat Premium, which starts with a 7-day free trial. It adds text and image editing, PDF creation from photos, Office files, Google Docs or web pages, and conversion to Word, Excel, PowerPoint or images. It also covers merging, compressing, reordering and splitting pages, OCR for scans, and password protection.

The AI Assistant is described as a paid feature, free for a limited time. It answers questions with cited results, including from charts and tables, and generates summaries. PDF Spaces let you work across multiple files in one place. If you only read and sign, none of this is needed.

If you want to edit text or convert files without a subscription, the free tier will not do it. PDF Reader, ReadEra, Document Reader & PDF Editor, Librera Reader and Turn the Page are alternatives, so check each listing for features and pricing.

Ads and in-app purchases are present in Acrobat Reader, which may push some people toward a simpler reader. Anyone who mainly wants a lightweight viewer, not Adobe's cloud and AI tools, has reason to look at those names.

The latest changelog mentions collaborating and sharing files in PDF Spaces and turning document summaries into podcast-style audio. It also adds design and editor tools powered by Adobe Express.

Acrobat Reader is published by Adobe under the package ID com.adobe.reader and is distributed through Google Play. It is rated Everyone and sits in tier C on this catalog. No independent security review is available, so review the permissions and data safety section on the Google Play listing before installing.