First look: Google's new Signature app makes it easy to use your signature in Android apps

Signing digital documents remains one of the few things you still can’t do effectively on an Android phone, especially without a dedicated app and without a stylus. It is nowhere as effortless as annotating on an iPhone or an iPad, but Google is working to solve this by including a native Signatures app on every Android phone that lets you easily store and insert signatures into various document formats, or even in apps that require you to perform KYC.

Google intends the Signature app to serve as a vault for different versions of your digital signatures. Apps that support signatures will be able to request users to fetch them from the app, much like Android’s photo picker does for photos. When an app supports adding signatures, a partial window will open, showing your signatures or allowing you to add new ones.

From what we know, you will be able to add new signatures in three formats, including:

1. a digital form of your actual signature by scribbling on the screen.
2. initials with multiple font options based on what you type.
3. photos of your signatures uploaded through the app.

You can also store multiple versions of each, and the images below show how each option works.

In addition, you will see the option to “Manage signatures” on a dedicated page that stores all signatures, where you can delete the ones you don’t need.

We’ve learned that the Signature app is now automatically available on Android devices with the June Play system update. Our devices, including a OnePlus 15, a OnePlus 13R, and a Google Pixel 9, already have the app installed. Since the app is delivered via Google Play system updates, you don’t need to depend on your phone’s manufacturer to ship it.

The minimum API level set for the app is 31, which means it should be compatible with devices running Android 12 and newer.

However, Google hasn’t officially shared plans for developers to make use of the app. Since the app is already rolling out to consumers, we hope Google can establish its use cases soon.