Interactive PDF on iPad

[XML1979]

Have read several similar topics but haven't seen a solution.

Have an interactive PDF that looks and works fine on desktop, but of course when viewed on iPad it all falls apart.   

Fields that should be hidden appear, and the show/hide function doesn't work.  There may also be issues with how and when the drop down buttons appear.  Fun.

Does anyone know of any app that can be run on an iPad that works with an interactive PDF form?

It doesn't need to be free but under 50 USD would be best.

[Amal.]

Hi there,

We are sorry for the trouble. As described the PDF form is not working well on iPad

IS this a behavior with a particular PDF form or with all the forms that you try to open on your iPad? If its a file specific issue please share the file with us for testing?

What is the version of the iPad and the Acrobat Reader Mobile application isntslled?

Please try to update the application from the App Store  and see if that works for you.

Let us know how it goes

Regards

Amal

[Ques1]

After a long call with the Adobe Support Team it is clear they are confused that actions on buttons do not work on all devices. In their view (regardless of what is posted on the support community forums), the functoinality should work on all platforms as long as they are opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The good folks at Adobe are currently looking at the issue for me on a PDF that did work in the Reader version 18 for iOS, but does not work in version 22. As of today, April 9, 2022 some button actions seem to work on iOS and some don't. I am having better luck with custome JavaScripts. Hiding and showing fields and layers (absolute neccesity for and interactive PDF) that is not working. 

[try67]

They are absolutely wrong, if that's what they said. It can be proven in seconds.

[Perry23956358evda]

All of our software is up-to-date. No buttons are working on any of our interactive PDFs when on iPad acrobat reader and only partially on windows in Macintosh acrobat reader

[Joe2787079753nv]

[abuse removed] You should know very well that Acrobat Reader does not work with interactive pdf (created by Adobe Acrobat on a PC). This is a well known issue and you are asking the person with issue to update the application from the App Store.

[abuse removed] It is the responsibility of Adobe and its employees to fix the known problems. Yes Adobe Reader is free, but I paid for Adocbe Acrobat Pro and expect the documents that was created on this platform should work acroas other Adobe products as well.

The response was from 2020 and today is 27 July 2024 and still the issue exist.

USE PDF EXPERT. It works very well. I create interactive pdf documents using Adobe Acrobat Pro 10X for living. Even latest version of Adobe and newest version of iPad/iOS does not work with interactive PDF. PDF EXPERT works (even the free version). 

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[S. S]

@Joe2787079753nv Interactive PDFs should work with mobile devices. 

However, there are certain limitations. If the PDF buttons are for navigation, they should work smoothly. 

If operations involve scripting, there could be limitations on those.

Please share your feedback here: https://acrobat.uservoice.com/ to ensure it reaches the dev team for review and future implementations.

-Souvik

[try67]

Try PDF Expert by Readdle. It currently offers the best support for scripts on iOS devices.

[Ques1]

PDF Expert is a paid for app and it's not bad, but it does not perfom all the things Acrobat Pro can publsih. However the large corporations I work for do not want to be outside the Adobe eco system. Most of my custmers will not allow thier team to download applications on their phone, tablet or computers. However the Acrobat Reader is installed on the most company equipment. It is Adobe's task (just like every web developer) to make sure thier technolgy works across all desktop and mobile platforms. Adobe is the owner of this technolgy and the gold standard in for portable documents. 

I am confident that the very capable folks at Adobe will tackle this. 

[try67]

I can't share your optimism. Adobe has known about these issues for a long time now and has done very little to fix them. But we can always hope...

Also, they don't own the PDF technology, not any longer. It's been given by them to the ISO consortium many years ago, so it can be an open, global standard (which it is).

[Perry23956358evda]

They do however own acrobat Pro and acrobat reader, the authoring tool that claims to be able to do these things. I hope you are wrong about there apathy towards an obvious flaw in there technology