So basically I asked about this in another thread but wanted to clarify bc I'm trying to get our whole team sorted before we roll this out next week. We've got guys on iPhones and a couple guys with iPad Minis we want to use for the bigger screen when getting customer signatures.
The question is — are there any actual differences in how signature capture works between phone and tablet? Like does the tablet version have more features or is it literally the same thing just bigger? And does orientation matter? One of my guys said he tried it in landscape and the signature box looked weird but idk if that was user error or what.
Also side note if anyone's got a preferred stylus that actually works with FieldPulse on iPad lmk, we've tried like three and they're all kinda janky.
Thanks!
Hey Connor — been using both for a couple years now. Short answer: functionally identical, but the experience differs.
**Phone vs tablet:** Same features, same flow. The signature canvas is responsive so it'll adapt to whatever screen size. That said, customers definitely prefer signing on a tablet — bigger target, feels more "official" somehow. We switched our guys to iPad Minis for signatures specifically and customer complaints about "I couldn't sign that" basically disappeared.
**Orientation:** Pro tip — stick to portrait on tablets. In landscape the canvas stretches wider than it needs to and you get some weird aspect ratio stuff where the signature looks compressed when it renders in the PDF. Not a bug exactly, just not optimized for landscape. Portrait looks clean every time.
**Stylus:** Apple's own Pencil is overkill for this. We use the Adonit Mini 4 — cheap, reliable, no Bluetooth pairing headaches. Works fine with FieldPulse's canvas.
One thing worth noting: if your guys are using the tablets for other stuff (photos, checklists), the signature capture doesn't automatically rotate if you have rotation lock on. Found that out the hard way when a tech had the iPad locked in landscape and the signature screen looked broken.
can confirm the landscape thing — had the exact same issue last month. signature box gets all stretched and looks like crap in the final doc. portrait only for us now
also ngl we just use finger signing on the ipad mini. tried a cheap stylus from amazon and it was worse than just using a finger honestly. ymmv though
Great question, Connor!
To confirm what Josh and Tyler shared — the signature capture feature is indeed functionally identical across phone and tablet. The canvas adapts responsively to screen dimensions, so no features are exclusive to either device type.
**Quick clarification on orientation:** This is a known constraint. The signature canvas is optimized for portrait orientation on all devices. When rotation lock forces landscape, the canvas doesn't reflow properly, which can result in the compression effect Josh described. We're tracking this internally but don't have a timeline for landscape optimization yet.
**For your rollout:** I'd recommend standardizing on portrait orientation for signature capture regardless of device. If you need guidance on mobile best practices, this article covers photo and signature capture in detail.
Happy to help if anything else comes up as you roll this out!
in my experience the "customers prefer tablet" thing is overstated. i've had customers refuse to sign on anything that's not their own phone — privacy concerns, they say some company is gonna steal their signature data.
we keep one of those cheap phone-based readers as backup. square reader knockoff, like $20. not integrated or anything but when someone's spooked by the tablet option it saves the job.
just saying — don't assume bigger screen = better for every customer. field test it with your actual clientele before you buy a bunch of ipads
