Need to send a fax with RingCentral?
Sending a fax from your iPhone might sound like a weird mash-up of old and new technology. Fax machines and smartphones were created decades apart; how can they possibly work together? And who even faxes anymore?
You might be surprised. Germany and Japan—both countries with a reputation for advanced technology—are clinging on to their fax machines, with 77% of German companies still using fax. In the US, meanwhile, 70% of healthcare providers still exchange medical information by fax.
However, traditional faxing is a clunky and outdated method of communication. And until very recently, it was being left behind as things like phone calls, meetings, and conferences went online.
The good news; things are changing. Thanks to online faxing, fax has gotten a new lease of life. Say goodbye to paper, ink, and cumbersome hardware—it’s time to start faxing with your iPhone.
Read on for answers to these questions about how to fax from iPhone :
- How do you fax from an iPhone?
- Why should businesses use online fax?
- What businesses still rely on fax?
- What’s the best way to send a fax via smartphone?
🔍 Looking for a new communication tool? Don’t overlook these must-have features.
How can I send a fax from my iPhone?
Faxes cannot be sent directly from iPhone phone numbers to fax machines or vice versa. You’ll need a third-party fax app or internet service to make it work. One option is to visit the App Store where you’ll find a variety of faxing options with varying pricing. For a more comprehensive solution, RingCentral Fax® is a software-based online fax service, and a contemporary and cost-effective way to send and receive faxes.
So, how can you fax from an iPhone?
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Here’s how it works with RingCentral:
- Set up a RingCentral account
- Download the desktop or mobile app
- Create a new fax
- Enter your recipient’s fax number
- Add a fax cover page and/or personalized message if you want to
- Add file attachments from Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, etc (supported formats include jpg, png, tiff, and Word files)
- Send the fax
- Your recipient will receive fax pages as a PDF to view on their device via their own online account, or as a fax printout on a traditional fax machine.
A little later in this article, we’ll check out other ways to fax with RingCentral, including fax via email.
Why should businesses use online fax?
You might be wondering: why on earth do millions of people still use fax when they could just send an email?
That’s a great question, with a couple of important answers.
For secure (and affordable) communications
Secure communications are critical to many businesses today. Even small businesses should put some thought into cybersecurity. And, did you know that fax through iPhone is much more secure than a standard email? Faxes are free of the viruses that lurk amongst the spam that litters our inboxes, and data can be kept private.
Instead of splashing the cash on encrypted email services, just using a fax solution can save you money. Think of how expensive data breaches and lost trust in your business can be. In fact, many government institutions and healthcare bodies prefer using fax as an extra layer of communications security.
For customer retention across generations
Not every one of your clients is going to be technologically savvy—especially when it comes to the older generation. But you don’t want to lose out on a great deal or let down a loyal long-term customer just because they want to use fax and you don’t.
By using fax on iPhone as part of a unified communications app, you’ll be able to send messages, files, and secure documents with electronic signatures directly to clients’ traditional fax machines without any extra bother to either party. It’s a win-win.
What businesses still rely on fax?
If an industry relies on documents with personal identifying information (PII), you can bet they’re still deep in the fax game. Why? Because security is key when sending such sensitive data back and forth, and email doesn’t cut it.
Here are some of the top industries that still use faxes every day:
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Banking and financial services
- Government organizations
- Education
If you’re in one of these industries, you can continue to enjoy the benefits of fax in a more modern way, by faxing with an iPhone instead of a clunky machine.
It’s perfect for streamlining your office communications channels—which is vital when your employees are traveling or working remotely. You won’t even need to be in the office to send that fax, take that call, or answer that group message.
Why choose RingCentral’s fax app for iPhone?
These days, businesses must maintain numerous communications channels simultaneously. For many, an app for faxing via iPhone is a must, but it works best when it’s part of a unified communications platform (like RingEX®).
The benefits
RingCentral’s user-friendly fax app takes minutes to set up—use your existing fax numbers or choose toll-free, local, or vanity numbers. Advanced functionality includes automated scheduling, batch faxing, and customizable cover pages.
You’ll get real-time notifications for incoming and outgoing faxes, and you can generate comprehensive reports on fax usage and delivery status. It’s easy to access files from your cloud storage service, and the platform integrates with business apps like Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Chrome.
As well as allowing teams to fax with iPhone, Apple iOS, and Android, RingEX gives you all-in-one online office communications (phone, SMS text messaging, video meetings, team messaging, conferencing, and much more).
The real-life stories
Being able to access all of your channels from one unified iOS app on your iPhone saves a significant amount of time and money, as numerous businesses have discovered.
For example, Brinker International—the company behind Chili’s, Maggiano’s, and It’s Just Wings—was able to reduce its telecom costs by consolidating its communications services with RingCentral.
Now that all staff have RingCentral apps on their phones and laptops, they can access the business phone service plus team messaging, video calling, and SMS, and even fax from an iPhone—all in the same place.
“We’ve replaced several communication vendors—for video conferencing and fax, for example—with one predictable bill from RingCentral. It’s saving us a small fortune.”
– Nate Hawley, Network Architect, Brinker International
Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, one of the USA’s largest premier dermatology practices, began to recognize the limitations of their legacy comms system. In particular, the inability to easily transition from traditional faxing to eFax.
With their old system, patient-referral faxes came into their clinics’ fax machines. Switching to RingCentral gave them the ability to receive those faxes remotely and respond quickly, which improved patient care and revenue streams.
“RingCentral’s built-in faxing has been a game changer.”
– Brett McVay, Network Administrator, Advanced Dermatology
Fax from iPhone: Old tech, meet new tech
Just because communications technologies have advanced since faxing’s heyday, that doesn’t mean we need to throw the channel away (although feel free to dispose of your fax machine at your nearest electronic recycling center).
We don’t need cumbersome hardware or landlines anymore, but we can keep fax going through our iPhones, iPads, web browsers, and mobile devices. And what’s more, we should.
When you fax from an iPhone, it’s secure and it’s cost-effective. What’s not to like?
With an integrated communications solution like RingEX, your teams will be able to manage all their office communications from one app.
Fax from different devices
We’ve shown you how to fax from iPhone, but what if you want to use a different device, or scan documents and send them?
Fear not, RingCentral has you covered—whatever the device or operating system. Click on the links below to find simple steps for how to:
Fax from iPhone FAQs
Can I receive a fax on an iPhone?
So, you now know how to send a fax from an iPhone, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t explain how to receive a fax on iPhone.
If you have an online account with an internet fax provider like RingCentral, you simply give your unique fax number to the person who wants to send you a document. They’ll set it up at their end, and the incoming fax will appear as a PDF for you to view on-screen.
If you have a physical fax machine, you can still receive documents even when someone opts to send the fax by iPhone. The document will just come through as a fax printout in the traditional way.
Can I send a fax from an iPhone without the app?
You don’t necessarily need an app to send fax from an iPhone. As long as you subscribe to a vendor offering an online fax service, you can use email or a browser instead.
For example, with RingCentral, you can open your preferred browser on your iPhone and log into your RingCentral account to send docs via fax. Or just create a new email, attach the document, and send it to the recipient’s 10-digit fax phone number, followed by the domain “@rcfax.com.”
What’s the best fax app for iPhone?
Call us biased, but we think it’s RingCentral’s. You have the choice of signing up for the standalone RingCentral Fax product, or subscribing to RingEX—the full unified communications solution—to get phone, video, messaging, and SMS capabilities alongside iPhone faxing.
The software is a breeze to set up and manage (customer support is available if you need a little help), and enables you to send and receive faxes from anywhere, anytime.
Is it safe to send documents through a fax app via iPhone?
Online fax, through iPhone or other devices, is more secure than traditional faxing (as long as you pick a reputable provider). Unlike transmissions via phone lines, eFaxing has built-in security protocols such as encrypted connection (TLS) and password-protected accounts.
RingCentral, for example, lets you customize your personal security controls and block specific faxes. It’s also FINRA- and HIPAA-compliant, which is ideal for clients in the healthcare and financial services industries.
Is it free to fax from iPhone?
Free cloud-based faxing services let you use an iPhone app to fax documents to free fax numbers, but they’ll restrict the number of pages you can send and the numbers you can send to. For unlimited faxing, you’re better off with an affordable paid plan (like those from RingCentral).
Originally published Jul 08, 2024, updated Sep 05, 2024
