iPad Pro Problems with my Brand New Apple Pencil?.....

[Newbert]

...or it could very well be me. (It wouldn't be the first time....).

I just picked up my Apple Pencil from Best Buy after waiting about 10 days for it. I gave it a quick go in Notes and was a bit underwhelmed TBH. So let me make sure that I'm doing things correctly....

1. When charging the pencil, should it "snap" or "click" into the Lightning port of the iPad Pro? (My pencil doesn't..) My power cord clicks into the Lightning port when re-charging the iPad Pro, but the pencil doesn't, and I don't want to force it. How long did you charge the pencil before testing it out the first time? (I did 15 seconds to get 30 minutes, but it doesn't seem to be working right. See #2 below).

2. In "Notes", which implement is best to use to demonstrate the pressure sensitivity and angle recognition of the pencil? When I use the thin marker (I think it's a virtual pen?), I don't see any changes in light/darkness or thickness of the stroke, based on pressure or angle. When I use the virtual pencil, I DO see light/dark based on pressure and thickness, based on pencil angle - However, there are very small gaps (a pixel or two?) in what's drawn on the iPad when using the virtual pencil. Is that normal? (I don't see those gaps when using the virtual pen.) Using the highlighter seems to work fine.

3. Are there any other ways/apps to test whether the pencil is working properly, or do I have a hardware problem?

BTW - Yes, The pencil and iPad DID pair correctly per the settings panel.

Thanks!

 

[Newbert]

...or it could very well be me. (It wouldn't be the first time....).

I just picked up my Apple Pencil from Best Buy after waiting about 10 days for it. I gave it a quick go in Notes and was a bit underwhelmed TBH. So let me make sure that I'm doing things correctly....

1. When charging the pencil, should it "snap" or "click" into the Lightning port of the iPad Pro? (My pencil doesn't..) My power cord clicks into the Lightning port when re-charging the iPad Pro, but the pencil doesn't, and I don't want to force it. How long did you charge the pencil before testing it out the first time? (I did 15 seconds to get 30 minutes, but it doesn't seem to be working right. See #2 below).

2. In "Notes", which implement is best to use to demonstrate the pressure sensitivity and angle recognition of the pencil? When I use the thin marker (I think it's a virtual pen?), I don't see any changes in light/darkness or thickness of the stroke, based on pressure or angle. When I use the virtual pencil, I DO see light/dark based on pressure and thickness, based on pencil angle - However, there are very small gaps (a pixel or two?) in what's drawn on the iPad when using the virtual pencil. Is that normal? (I don't see those gaps when using the virtual pen.) Using the highlighter seems to work fine.

3. Are there any other ways/apps to test whether the pencil is working properly, or do I have a hardware problem?

BTW - Yes, The pencil and iPad DID pair correctly per the settings panel.

Thanks!

Well, after a bit more time and playing around, I discovered a few things:

a) While the pencil won't "click" into my iPad Pro for charging, the pencil came with a small female-to-female lightning adapter to allow charging with the power cord. My pencil clicks into only one end of that adapter (not the other), but at least that allows me to charge it using the power cord (although there's no indicator at all showing whether it's charging or whether it's fully charged). I'm still curious as to whether others have to charge their Apple Pencil this way?

b) After watching a video on Youtube, it was spelled out that the virtual pen/marker in "Notes" does not support pressure and angle recognition. However, the virtual pencil does. And the highlighter supports angle recognition.

 

[T-Will]

On your iPad, pull down Notification Center, tap "Edit" near the bottom, and add the "Batteries" widget. It should show the Pencil's battery life.

 

[ZBoater]

You're holding it wrong.

 

[mgipe]

The "pencil" tool will show small gaps. It is imitating the look of pencil lead on paper.

 

[KPOM]

a) While the pencil won't "click" into my iPad Pro for charging, the pencil came with a small female-to-female lightning adapter to allow charging with the power cord. My pencil clicks into only one end of that adapter (not the other), but at least that allows me to charge it using the power cord (although there's no indicator at all showing whether it's charging or whether it's fully charged). I'm still curious as to whether others have to charge their Apple Pencil this way?

There is no "click." Just slide it into the port and it will start charging automatically. There is no indicator. Just swipe down the notification bar and click on Widgets to see the charge level. It charges very quickly. If you let it get down to around 50% it takes about 10-15 minutes to get back to 100% from my experience.

 

[Newbert]

On your iPad, pull down Notification Center, tap "Edit" near the bottom, and add the "Batteries" widget. It should show the Pencil's battery life.

Thanks, I'll give that a try!

 

[Newbert]

There is no "click." Just slide it into the port and it will start charging automatically. There is no indicator. Just swipe down the notification bar and click on Widgets to see the charge level. It charges very quickly. If you let it get down to around 50% it takes about 10-15 minutes to get back to 100% from my experience.

Thanks for clarifying that there's no "click". (Maybe it's only me, but a confirming "click" would be welcome.)

 

[fenjen]

Thanks for clarifying that there's no "click". (Maybe it's only me, but a confirming "click" would be welcome.)

I noticed it not clicking too, but there's an easy explanation for it though. Look at the pencil's lightning connector at the sides and compare it to a standard lightning cable.

 

[Newbert]

Thanks, I'll give that a try!

That worked. Thanks!

And thanks to everyone for your comments too. They clarified a lot for me. Now all I need to do is learn to draw!

 

[haruhiko]

Apple mentioned on Apple Pencil's webpage that they made the Lightning port on the Pencil a little bit longer so that it will fit into an iPad with the silicone case so the Pencil when plugged into your iPad Pro, does not stay flush.

 

[spiderman0616]

I almost never plug mine into the iPad. I usually use the little adapter. If you look at the adapter there's a little circle on the end you're supposed to plug your pencil into.

 

[TrueBlou]

I almost never plug mine into the iPad. I usually use the little adapter. If you look at the adapter there's a little circle on the end you're supposed to plug your pencil into.

I'm the same, I use a spare TwelveSouth HiRise that I had for my iPhone as probably the most over the top charging dock for my Pencil, but at least it's getting used

 

[alecgold]

Moxi-ware's pencil dock is really nice too!