Where Acrobat Reader is built around Adobe's own PDF workflow, PDF Reader from QR Code Scanner. mixes a file viewer with editing, conversion and AI helpers in one app. It scans for PDF, Word, Excel, PPT and TXT files on the device, and offers night mode, reflow mode and bookmarks for longer reading. It needs Android 6.0 or later, and the current version is 2.1.7.
Free to install, with ads and in-app purchases
PDF Reader costs nothing to get and carries an Everyone content rating. Ads appear while you use it, and in-app purchases are offered for extra options such as the AI Assistant tools.
Reading modes, file detection and the AI Assistant
The app scans the device and lists PDF, Word, Excel and PPT files automatically, and the description adds TXT. The lists are searchable. For reading, it has night mode, reflow mode, bookmarks, page-by-page or continuous scrolling, and horizontal or vertical layouts.
Editing covers text and images, signing, form filling, inserting pages, highlighting, underlining, freehand drawing and compression. Merge, split, password protection, rename and print sit in the manager part. Conversion runs between PDF and images or Word, and a scan-to-PDF function handles paper documents.
The AI Assistant summarizes documents, translates PDFs, reads files aloud, rewrites text, checks grammar and checks for sensitive information. The developer also lists planned items such as PDF to PPT, Excel conversion, eye protection mode and collaborative editing. Those are described as coming, not as present features.
Update history and the all-files permission
The most recent update is dated October 26, 2026, and the app first appeared on January 24, 2022. The current version is 2.1.7.
PDF Reader pros and cons
Pros
- Opens PDF, Word, Excel and PPT files from one searchable list
- Reading aids include night mode, reflow mode and bookmarks
- Editing, signing, form filling, merge and split are all listed
- AI summaries, translation and read-aloud are included
- Free to install and only 12MB according to the store description
Cons
- Contains ads and in-app purchases
- Needs the all-files storage permission on Android 11 and above
- Several advertised features, such as PDF to Excel, are still marked as coming
- Version 2.1.7 is the current release
Is PDF Reader safe?
The publisher is named as QR Code Scanner., and you install the app through Google Play. No scan or audit result is provided here, so read the permission prompts yourself before you accept them, especially anything about access to your files.
How to install PDF Reader
- Press the Google Play button on this page.
- Check the listing in the Play Store and press Install.
- Open PDF Reader when the install finishes. Updates arrive through Google Play.
