Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to send or receive an important fax message but you didn't have any access to a PC or a fax machine? As long as you have an Android device handy, there are options for you, here's how you send or receive fax messages with an Android phone.

What you should be aware of is that there is no way to connect an Android device to a fax machine and control it that way, fax machines just don't support that level of connectivity. Likewise, you can not turn your Android into a fax machine like you can with a PC and fax modem. The only options you've got are using online fax services, or faxing apps.

Method 1: Online Fax Services

This method of faxing has gotten pretty popular over the last decade, as it takes communication method that is bulky and unwieldy and turns it into something very similar to e-mailing, quickly and simply. You'll need an Android device with access to the internet and a browser installed, and you're good to go – online fax services use online browser interfaces to let you do all the work.

Just know that some of the services may require you to create an account and activate it on a PC before you can use it from your Android phone. Receiving faxes on your mobile device is just like receiving an e-mail with an attachment – you can download the document and send it to your office computer or to wherever you want to print it from (if you want to print it at all, a digital copy of a fax may be enough for you).

These services are not free, but they offer prices that don't differ that much from regular faxing prices and can, in some cases, be even more affordable than dealing with your local phone line provider.

Method 2: Android Faxing Apps

Much like using Windows Mobile and iStore apps for faxing, Android apps allow you to buy credits that you can use to send and receive fax messages through an app interface, designed to be used easily and quickly with no need for your browser. Of course, you will still need to be connected to the internet to use Faxing Apps.

Here are three most popular faxing apps for Android, you can find more in “similar apps” tab of the Google Play store:

FaxFile

FaxFile is an easy to use app that that has been around for a while, and on different platforms. It's originally an Android app, and while every major Android update brings out a few new bugs, they get resolved reasonably quickly. The price tag for faxing credits is higher than sending from your regular online faxing services, but the features offered within an app are well worth it.

Dr. Fax FreeFax

Dr Fax has a much more professional looking layout when compared to FaxFile, but the functionality is more or less same. It covers over 50 countries and you're good to go. There is one free page per day, but you need to buy credits for more than that – don't be tricked by the name

eFax App

eFax App lets you receive, sign and send faxes from your Android devices. Out of the three options here, this one is the one that people complain about when it comes to bugs, but if it runs fine on your phone, than you've got a reliable option for sending and receiving faxes from your phone.

One thing you should have in mind with both of these options is that there are no apps that can sync up a fax machine with an Android phone. Using Android to send and receive faxes is a more expensive option than using landline fax, and it uses your data plan, so if you're limited on data transfer, you may push your charges even higher.

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Matt Gerchow

Matt Gerchow is an author, marketer, inventor, husband, father and yoga enthusiast. He enjoys travel to distant lands , fine wine, time with his family and dinner with friends.