Best Tips For Your New Apple Pencil

Apple Pencil available for iPad Pro is definitely a game changer when it comes to using iPads. The pencil is beautifully designed. It is longer than traditional stylus that one has seen over the ages. It resembles a real pencil and feels natural to hold.

The accuracy of the pencil is very impressive due to the sensors built into the tip. What is even more amazing is that the pencil is able to decipher the force and tilt you use to write or draw and can translate that to the screen.

The A9X chip on the iPad Pro makes it very responsible to the Pencil. There is hardly any delay associated with the user experience when you are trying to use the pencil on the iPad pro.

The first time you use your Apple Pencil, take off its cap and plug it into the Lightning connector on your iPad Pro. After a few seconds, you’ll see the Pair button. Tap it. Pairing of the pencil remains intact until you restart your iPad or turn on the Airplane mode. You have to re-pair it if you restart your iPad.

Essential Apps for Apple Pencil 

In order to get the best value out of your Apple pencil, you may want to check some of the apps that support the pencil’s features. ProCreate is a must have app that supports drawing and digital painting. There are quite a few video tutorials out there on youtube that can help you with your drawing needs. Here is one that that is well liked by many users and gets good reviews.

Apple’ s pencil site also provides with quite a few basic tips around using the pencil.

If you are looking for an app to support note taking, look no further than Notability. It is a great app that supports your day to day note taking using Apple Pencil. You can also check out OneNotes, another popular app for note taking on the Apple Pencil. If you are looking for a good coloring app, Pigment comes to your rescue.

If you like to journal on a day to day basis, the iPad pro with the Pencil is a great combination to have especially when it is used with Noteshelf for daily journaling. Several users also suggest apps such as the Day One and Day one 2 for journaling. You may want to check these out and use the one that suits your taste the best.

Accessories to Consider for Apple Pencil

Some users using the iPad Pro 9.7 have complained about the possible scratch marks that are left behind when you use the Apple Pencil on the screen. These scratches are light and are not that visible, however if you like you can get yourself a few good screen protectors that work with the Apple Pencil.

Skinomi on the 12.9″ and a TechMatte amFilm on the 9.7″ are real good options and are highly recommended. The TechMatte seems to be better with touch.

There are many chargers available out there to charge your ipad pro. We suggest that you stick to the Apple chargers and not use the fake chargers found on ebay or other sites.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with the Apple pencil

The Apple Pencil is a very sturdy device and has minimal problems. Most of the times, problems experienced are related to the Bluetooth connection that connects the pencil with your ipad or a loose tip on the pencil. The other important aspect is to make sure that your Apple pencil has enough battery.

One basic tip around issues encountered while using Apple Pencil is to take the pencil’s tip off and put it back on. If the tip becomes a little loose the pencil doesn’t respond. If you tighten the tip a bit, it starts working without any issues.

If you are experiencing issues such as the Battery widget missing after upgrading your iPad Pro to iOS 9.3.1, you can fix the issue by simply restarting your iPad pro. You will have to pair your pencil once the device is restarted. Once the pencil is paired with your iPad pro, Go to the Notification center, tap on the Edit button at the bottom and add the battery widget to it. Opening notification center will reveal how much charge is left on your pencil.

If you are still facing issues with using the pencil, you can try to delete the pencil from your ipad and then repair it back again. Go to Settings > Bluetooth. You will be able to see your Apple pencil on the list of CONNECTED devices. Tap on the “I” next to it and choose “Forget this device’ and confirm when asked. Next, take the cap off from the pencil, plug it back to the lightning port and repair it back to your iPad Pro.

We hope that you found the post helpful. Please let us know how you are using your Apple pencil. If you have a favorite tip to share, please feel free to do in the comments below.

SK( Managing Editor )

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.