Mobile Scanners
The Mobile Scanners page lets you connect a WhatsApp account to TaxLayer so you can photograph and send documents, invoices, receipts, delivery notes, directly from your phone.
TaxLayer receives the images and processes them through the same extraction and classification pipeline as uploaded files.
How mobile scanning works:
- You connect a phone number via WhatsApp and pair it with the TaxLayer bot
- When you want to scan a document, you photograph it and send the image to the TaxLayer bot on WhatsApp
- TaxLayer receives the image, extracts the document data using AI, classifies it, and attempts to match it to a client
- The document appears in your Documents list for review
- Documents sent via mobile scanner go through the standard TaxLayer processing pipeline. They receive the same statuses and client matching as uploaded files.
Supported providers:
- WhatsApp - Available
- Viber - Coming soon
What you see
Connected scanners are shown in a table:
Column | Detail |
|---|---|
Phone Number | The phone number registered with the scanner, in international format (e.g. +44 7412 345678) |
Type | The messaging provider (WhatsApp icon) |
Created | When the scanner was connected |
Status | Current scanner status (see Scanner statuses below) |
Actions | QR code and Disconnect options |
If no scanners are connected, the page shows an empty state with a Connect messaging tool button.
Connect a scanner
Before you begin:
- You need a WhatsApp account with an active phone number
- The phone number must be able to receive WhatsApp messages
- You will need to scan a QR code or follow a link to add the TaxLayer bot to your WhatsApp contacts
Connection steps
Click Connect messaging tool (or Add Scanner) in the top right.
Select WhatsApp from the dropdown. (Viber shows a "Coming Soon" badge and cannot be selected.)
The Connect WhatsApp Account modal opens.
Select your Country from the dropdown to set the dial code.
Enter your phone number — the number associated with your WhatsApp account.
Click Connect.
TaxLayer registers the number. Once complete, the scanner appears in the table.
Pair your phone with the TaxLayer bot
After connecting, you need to open WhatsApp and start a conversation with the TaxLayer bot. There are two ways to do this:
Via QR code:
Click the ⋯ Actions menu on your new scanner row.
Click QR code.
The QR Code modal opens showing a code to scan.
Open WhatsApp on your phone, go to Contacts, and scan the QR code.
A chat with the TaxLayer bot opens. Send any message to activate the connection.
Via direct link: The QR Code modal also shows a direct link. Tap the link from your phone to open WhatsApp and go directly to the TaxLayer bot conversation.
Send a document via WhatsApp
Once your scanner is connected and paired:
Open WhatsApp and go to your chat with the TaxLayer bot.
Take a photo of the document (invoice, receipt, etc.) or select an existing image from your gallery.
Send the image as a message.
TaxLayer receives the image and begins processing it.
The document appears in your Documents list within a few minutes.
For best results, photograph documents on a flat surface with good lighting. Ensure the full document is visible in the frame. Blurry or heavily cropped images may fail extraction.
Scanner statuses
Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
Active | The scanner is paired and ready to receive documents |
Pending | The scanner has been registered but the pairing with WhatsApp has not yet been confirmed. Open the QR code and complete the pairing step |
Inactive | The scanner was connected but is no longer receiving messages |
Disconnect a scanner
- Click the ⋯ Actions menu on the scanner row.
- Click Disconnect.
The scanner is removed from TaxLayer. Documents previously sent via that scanner remain in your Documents list and are not deleted.
Portal users
Client portal users (contacts with portal access) can only see and manage scanners associated with their own client. They cannot view scanners connected to other clients or to the organisation as a whole.
Organisation-level users see all scanners across all clients.
Limitations
WhatsApp only Viber support is listed as coming soon. Currently, only WhatsApp is available.
Image quality Mobile scanner documents are extracted from photos, which are inherently lower quality than scanned PDFs. Poor lighting, angle, blurriness, or partial framing will reduce extraction accuracy. Documents with extraction issues will receive a Needs Review or Blocking status.
File types Only images sent as photos or documents via WhatsApp are processed. Voice messages, text messages, and other file types are ignored.
No bulk send Each message to the TaxLayer bot is processed as a single document. Sending multiple images in one message may result in only one being processed, depending on how WhatsApp delivers the message.
Processing time Mobile-scanned documents are processed the same way as uploaded files and typically appear in the Documents list within a few minutes of sending.
Troubleshooting
The scanner appears but stays in Pending status. You have not yet completed the pairing step. Click the ⋯ Actions menu on the row, select QR code, and follow the instructions to open a WhatsApp conversation with the TaxLayer bot. Send any message to the bot to activate the connection.
A document I sent is not appearing in the Documents list. Wait a few minutes and refresh. If the document still does not appear, check that:
- Your scanner status is Active (not Pending or Inactive)
- You sent the image to the correct TaxLayer bot conversation
- The image was sent as a photo or document, not as a link or sticker
The QR code modal shows but scanning does nothing. Ensure you are using the WhatsApp camera scan function for QR codes (not your phone's regular camera). If scanning fails, use the direct link shown in the modal instead.
Updated on: 16/04/2026
Thank you!