Trying to fill/sign Adobe PDF on Chromebook and Android

Report · Nov 15, 2022

Occasionally I receive a document that I have to sign, which I prefer to do digitally. Even less often, that document contains proprietary XFA elements, so the app that I normally use to do this will not accommodate it. I have tried no fewer than 11 Android and 2 iPad apps, including two from Adobe, with no success.

I have been dealing with a document downloaded from a government website.

I see:

"The document you are trying to load requires Adobe 8 or higher..."

or

"Please wait..."

ot

"Document equires an app for Windows or Mac"

I am particularly frustrated by the fact that the Adobe apps failed to open the document.

Is there a solution that does not require a paid subscription?

Thanks.

Report · Nov 16, 2022

Hi LennardK,

Thank you for reaching out.

As mentioned above, the message appears with the XFA PDF.

XFA documents cannot be opened on browsers or mobile applications. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro desktop application to open these PDFs.

No subscription is required to open the PDFs. You may install Acrobat Reader on your desktop application from the following page: https://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/.

You may also refer to the information provided on the following help page: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-reader-discussions/pdf-won-t-display-please-wait/td-p/4788543.

Hope the information helps.

Thanks.

Meenakshi

Report · Nov 16, 2022

Thanks for your reply.

I clicked on your first link. Chrome OS is not listed, so I tried it on my android phone. I was taken to a google play page, not the app, where the only option I was given was to install on more devices. I then opened google play and searched for android acrobat reader, installed it, selected open a file, and granted permission. I selected the file that I am having a problem with and the following popped up:

Error

This form requires adobe acrobat reader DC for mac or windows

I have been around this merry-go-round already.

I then tried your second link. There are two links in that article, the first being the same one as above for reader, the second called acrobat. I clicked on the second one. I received a message that I am in the wrong region (the link is for India) so I selected continue to canadian site. That page for adobe acrobat pro gave me an option for a free trial or buy it now, neither of which is what I'm looking for. I could try the free trial. Perhaps that would solve my immediate problem, but what happens after my trial expires and I get another document? And if I forget to cancel I am automatically billed.

I also looked at a couple of other links in that article, one to another adobe website. The first step in the two workarounds under "Edit XFA forms" was to open the document in acrobat. DUH?

I too was hoping that your information would help.

However, I am left feeling completely frustrated and fed up with the whole adobe experience.

Report · Nov 24, 2022

Subsequent to receiving your reply and trying your suggestions, I received a reply from another app developer, who said that this format is obsolete and is not supported by most other PDF apps. Why in the H*** is it still being used?