How to use Apple Pencil

After buying an iPad, you have well thought of buying an Apple Pencil, the digital stylus produced by the same company as the “bitten apple”, which is compatible with some iPad models. In this way you can use the device in your possession to write, take notes, draw, color and perform various other operations, which can usually be performed by placing your fingers on the screen, in an even more comfortable and natural way, just as if you were using a pen.

However, if you are here now and are reading this guide, it seems clear to me that, despite being very happy with the recent purchases, you have not yet understood how to use the Apple Pencil. How do you say? This is exactly how things are and would you like to know if I can help you or not? Of course yes, God forbid, I’m here for this. Give me a few minutes of your precious free time as well as your attention and I will endeavor to provide you with all the explanations you need.

With this tutorial of mine today I want to show you, in a simple but at the same time detailed way, how to pair the Apple Pencil to your iPad, how to use it in the best possible way, how to recharge the device, to replace the tip in case of wear and how to deal with any problems you may encounter in carrying out the various steps. But now just chat and let’s take action. I wish you, as usual, happy reading and I wish you a big good luck for everything.

Index

• General information
• Pair the Apple Pencil with the iPad
• Use the Apple Pencil
• Charge the Apple Pencil
• Replace the tip
• In case of problems or doubts

General information

Before explaining how to use the Apple Pencil, it seems only right to provide you with some general information about the device in question as well as about its nature and how it works.

As I told you at the beginning of the article, the Apple Pencil is the digital stylus produced and marketed by Apple itself and is only compatible with its devices. There are two versions: the Apple Pencil 1 to generation, which is compatible with the ‘ iPad 6 ^a, 7 ^a and 8 ^a generation, with the’ iPad Air 3 to generation, with the ‘ iPad mini 5 ^to generation, with the ‘ iPad Pro 12.9 “by 1 ⁱⁿ and 2 ^to generation, with the’ iPad Pro 10.5″ and with the ‘ iPad Pro 9.7 “; the Apple Pencil 2 ^to generation, compatible with the ‘ iPad Pro 12.9 “3 ⁱⁿ, 4 ⁱⁿ and 5 ^to generation, with the’ iPad Pro 11″ of 1 ^to, 2 ^a and 3 ^a generation and with the ‘ iPad Air 4 ^to generation.

For what concerns the design, l ‘ Apple Pencil of 1 ^to generation it has the appearance of a white glossy plastic cylinder and has dimensions equal to those of a real pen. On the one hand it has a plastic tip that can be unscrewed (for possible replacements in case of wear) and behind which there is an electrode, that is the key to the operation of the device. On the opposite side there is the Lightning connector, covered by a special cap, which is used to pair the device with the iPad and to recharge.

L ‘ Apple Pencil 2 ^to generation, however, has the appearance of a large white colored pencil with a matte finish, which in the lower part of the same (on the flat side), presents a sensitive area at the touch that can be used, for example, to switch from one drawing tool to another (from pencil to eraser and vice versa) or to undo the last operation made, depending on your preferences and the settings you want to use.

The pen has a plastic tip on one side that can be unscrewed and replaced if necessary. As for recharging, however, this occurs by magnetically hooking the Apple Pencil to the iPad.

Pair the Apple Pencil with the iPad

Now that you have a clearer idea of ​​the nature of your Apple-branded stylus, I would say that you are finally ready to take the first fundamental step to be able to start using it: pairing the Apple Pencil with your iPad. How you do it? Let’s find out right away.

First of all, since as stated in the previous step the Apple Pencil and the iPad “work” together via Bluetooth connection, you have to enable the latter on your tablet of the bitten apple.

To proceed with the pairing of the Apple Pencil, take the iPad, unlock it, access the home screen, press the Settings icon (the one with the gear ) and step on the Bluetooth item on the left, in the new screen displayed. Then turn ON the switch located on the right side of the screen, in correspondence with the wording Bluetooth.

Alternatively, you can turn on Bluetooth via the iPadOS Control Center. You can recall the latter by swiping from top to bottom (starting from the top right corner of the screen) then pressing the button with the stylized “B” in the appropriate section on the right.

Apple Pencil 1 ^to generation

Once that is done, take your Apple Pencil 1 ^to generation, remove the cap placed on top of it and connect it to the Lightning connector on the iPad. Then when on the iPad screen you’ll see the warning request Bluetooth pairing, presses the button Match to confirm the pairing.

After pairing, “physically” disconnect the Apple Pencil from your iPad and replace the cap on the end of the same.

Keep in mind, however, that once done, your Apple Pencil pairing will be maintained until you restart your iPad, activate Airplane Mode, or re-pair with another Apple tablet. When you need the Apple Pencil, you will only have to repeat the pairing proceeding as seen together above.

Apple Pencil 2 ⁱⁿ generation

As for the ‘ Apple Pencil 2 ^to generation, things get even easier. Since pairing is practically automatic, all you have to do is hook the Apple Pencil to your iPad. To do this, locate the side of the iPad that houses the magnetic connector for wireless charging (located on one of the long sides of the device) and place the Apple Pencil on it.

If everything went well, you will see a pop-up appear on the screen indicating that the pen is paired with the iPad. Starting from this moment, every time you hang up the pen after its use you will see a pop-up with the word Apple Pencil appear at the top of the screen, followed by the percentage of charge of the pen itself.

Use the Apple Pencil

Once you have completed the pairing procedure, you can finally start using your Apple Pencil in the true sense of the term. As I said in the previous lines, you can serve to carry out all those activities that you can normally perform with your fingers on the tablet screen but which with the use of a stylus are much simpler and faster, such as writing, annotating and drawing.

You can use Apple Pencil to perform any operation you would normally have performed with your fingers but only some apps on the App Store support all the features offered by the stylus, such as those I have reported in my article dedicated to the topic.

For example, you can use it with Apple’s Notes app itself to create handwritten annotations. You can do this by opening the app in question by pressing on its icon (the one with the notepad icon ) on the home screen, pressing the button located at the top right to create a new note (the one with the paper and the pencil ) and doing then tap on the circular symbol with the pen at the bottom right.

Then select the drawing tools you want to use and the colors you prefer using the menu that appeared below and start writing and drawing on the iPad screen using Apple Pencil. You can also place the palm of your hand on the screen to be more comfortable, while using Apple Pencil it is not detected and therefore does not interfere with the functioning of the pen.

Also, since the Apple Pencil is able to detect the level of pressure being exerted on the screen, you can also tilt the stylus to blend the stroke and you can press harder to increase its thickness. Great, right?

An interesting feature of the Apple Pencil is the one called Scribble, introduced with iPadOS 14. Thanks to it, in fact, it is possible to write by hand in any text field (eg the address bar of the browser), delete a written word by scribbling it with the pen or select a text by circling it.

To use this feature, make sure it is turned on in settings. Then go to Settings> Apple Pencil and move the switch located at the word Write by hand to ON. From now on, handwritten text in any text field will be converted to typed text. If you want to experiment to become familiar with this function, tap on the words Try to write by hand (at the bottom of the screen) and practice following the instructions that appear on the screen.

I still suggest you take a look at this video dedicated to the use of the Apple Pencil (in this case, it is that of 2 ^to generation, although some operating principles can be applied to the previous model), loaded by Apple on their channel of YouTube dedicated to the support. You can find many useful video indications that can help you clear up your ideas further on how to use the Apple Pencil. Please note that the video is in English.

Charge the Apple Pencil

By dint of using your Apple Pencil, the battery has run out and you would like to understand how to charge it? No problem, I can also explain this to you.

In order to achieve the aim with the ‘ Apple Pencil of 1 ^to generation, you just remove the cap present on the upper part of the pen, put on the latter’ s adapter attached to special sales package, connect the Lightning cable (always present in the package Apple Pencil sales) and finally connect the latter to a USB power supply (the original Apple one that you usually use to recharge the iPad is fine too) to be inserted into the electrical socket or into a USB port on your computer.

Alternatively, you can recharge your Apple Pencil by plugging it directly into the iPad (which, of course, must be turned on to be able to use it this way). To do this, always remove the cap on the Apple Pencil and connect the stylus to the Lightning connector of the tablet. That’s all!

With the ‘ Apple Pencil 2 ^to generation, however, you simply attach the pen to the iPad magnetically and charging will take place wirelessly, as I have already mentioned in the previous lines.

To check the charging progress, just take a look at the Batteries widget on iPad, the one you can access by swiping from left to right on the Lock Screen or on the Home Screen. If you have an Apple Pencil 2 ^to generation, the percentage of charging will be shown to you every time aggancerai magnetically iPad pen, as I told you before.

For more details regarding the practices in question, you can refer to my tutorial on the subject.

Replace the tip

Over time and especially with continuous use, the tip of Apple Pencil inevitably undergoes various wear and damage. However, this in no way means that you should get rid of your Apple-branded stylus and buy a new one. Just replace the tip and that’s it. But how is it done? I’ll explain it to you right away.

All you have to do is take your Apple Pencil and unscrew, counterclockwise, the tip that you find at the bottom of the same.

Once this is done, replace it with the spare one that Apple has included in the sales package of the device, screwing it clockwise.

If you can no longer find the sales package of your Apple Pencil, the replacement tip or if you have already used the “spare” one, you can buy new ones using the kit proposed by Apple. The tips are compatible with the first and second generation Apple Pencil.

In case of problems or doubts

Despite having followed my instructions on how the Apple Pencil works, is there something that is not very clear to you yet? Did any problems arise during construction and you don’t know how to deal with it? I can give you some useful tips even in that case.

Considering your difficulties, the best suggestion I can give you is to get in direct contact with Apple customer service, in order to ask the famous company about it directly.

Based on your needs and preferences as well as the means in your possession, you can do this through one of the systems that I have provided to indicate to you right below. Choose freely what you think can do the most for you, they are all very valid.

• By phone– Call the toll-free number 800 915 904 from your mobile or landline and follow the instructions of the recorded voice. The call is free and the number is active from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 19:45.
• Via Web– Connect to the appropriate page for online support located on the Apple website, click on the iPad icon (since the Apple Pencil is an accessory for the Apple tablet) and follow the guided procedure that comes to you proposal to indicate the type of problem encountered and to get the help you need.
• Via Apple Support app– Download the Apple Support app on your iPad or other iOS device you own, launch it, connect to your Apple account, select your iPad (as the Apple Pencil is a tablet accessory Apple) from the list of devices for which you want to get support and you will see a list with numerous items. Press on the one you are interested in and follow the relative instructions.
• Via Twitter– Forward a tweet or private message to the @AppleSupport account indicating the problems encountered. You will soon receive a response from Apple.
• Through the Apple Store– Go to an Apple Store in person and ask for help from the employees. To find the Apple Store closest to your area, you can refer to the complete list on the specific Internet page.

If you need more information on how to get in touch with Apple, feel free to consult my guide focused on the topic through which I have proceeded to talk to you about the matter in great detail.