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You are here: Home / Not working? / Apple Pencil Not Working, Fix

Apple Pencil Not Working, Fix

Last updated on February 7, 2019 By Serhat Kurt 59 Comments

This article explains what you can do when your Apple Pencil is not working properly, meaning your Apple Pencil becomes unresponsive.

Apple Pencil Troubleshooting

Why is my Apple Pencil not working? There can be several reasons that can cause the Apple Pencil to stop working. It can be a hardware problem,  a problem with your Bluetooth settings or your device.

We list steps below in order of most common to cause this issue:

Try each tip until your problem is fixed.

Loose tip/nib: A common issue is that the tip/nib of your pencil can become loose and then stop working. Simply tighten the nib.

Apple Pencil tip

Restart your iPad Pro: Power off your iPad by pressing and holding the Top button or by going to Settings > General> Shut Down then power on by pressing and holding the Top button until the Apple logo appears.

Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. On your iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth and check this. Are you unable to turn on Bluetooth?

Recharge. Is your Pencil charged? Because if it is not, your Pencil may not be able to work until there is a minimum charge in the battery. When your Pencil’s battery is low, you will receive low battery warnings. To charge your Pencil, remove the cap, and then connect your Apple Pencil’s Lightning connector to your iPad or iPad Pro’s Lightning port.

Reset your iPad Pro. This is also called fore restart. Do not worry, this does not erase the content of your iPad. To do this, first click and then immediately release the Volume Up button, second, click and then immediately release the Volume Down button and then third, click and hold the Power button (on/off button) until you see the Apple logo.

Repair. Unpair and then repair your Apple Pencil from your iPad Pro. To do this, on your iPad Pro, go to Settings > Bluetooth > and tap the (i) info icon to the right of Apple Pencil (under My Devices), and tap Forget. To repair, connect your Apple Pencil to your iPad Pro by plugging into the Lightning port and then tap Pair.

Restart the app. Are your having issues with a specific app (Notes etc) when you are using your Apple Pencil. Try force closing this app and then relaunch it. To do this, from the Home screen, swipe up and this action will bring up the fast app switcher.Find the app screen you want to quit (app that you are having Apple Pencil problems with). And swipe up on the app. And then retry.

The list of steps above will likely help you resolve your issue when you are unable to get your Apple Pencil and iPad Pro working together. If not you may want to contact Apple, or leave feedback.

See also: AirPods Are Connected But There Is No Sound

Filed Under: Not working? Tagged With: Apple Pencil

Comments

  1. Natalie Smith says

    February 3, 2021 at 6:29 pm

    Thanks so much! I found out my tip got loose and when I tightened it, it worked like magic.

    Reply
  2. Lynn says

    January 31, 2021 at 8:30 am

    All these people having this issue with these overly priced products…has anyone found a solution? I bought an iPad and pencil less than a month ago and the pen is not showing up under the Bluetooth settings. I have done everything on this list and more with no success. It started with the pen randomly disconnecting.

    Reply
    • Frank says

      March 26, 2021 at 7:17 pm

      Lynn, Yes so many of us are having the same issue. I have been hours on with Apple trying to resolve this issue. They eventually told me I need to go into a Apple service provider for support. They scheduled me at a Best Buy. Well, I don’t have to say much about that experience. Best Buy told me they are not able to service this device for Apple. I really feel that this situation is like the iPhone Slowgate problem. I purchased a new one, it connected right away, but I want my money back for the other one that receive a software update and stopped working. Apple knows this is an issue, but do not want to acknowledge it.

      Reply
  3. Pola says

    November 11, 2020 at 9:06 pm

    After upgrade to OS 14.3 my apple pencil doesn’t work.

    Reply
  4. Cedric says

    August 18, 2020 at 9:57 am

    Same here. Brand new ipad air last generation and brand new pencil gen1…

    Reply
  5. Silvia S says

    August 16, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    Same here. Everything started with a message saying that the I pencil needed charging at it was almost 100% charged. IPad Pro and I pencil 2

    Reply
  6. Ralph Zamora says

    July 31, 2020 at 2:39 am

    I bought a new IPad Air and a IPad Pencil. The pencil will connect for a few seconds then immediately disconnect. How do I fix this problem?

    Reply
  7. Ley says

    July 30, 2020 at 3:02 am

    My Apple pencil 1 doesn’t connect on my ipad 6th gen, I tried to restart my ipad and all. I even charged my pencil for more than 15 mins yet it still doesn’t connect. It will connect and will disconnect within seconds, how can I fix this? I am longing to use it. Please help me with this issue.

    Reply
    • kyle says

      September 21, 2020 at 11:39 pm

      did you figure out a fix ?

      Reply
  8. RJ says

    July 21, 2020 at 8:24 pm

    I am also having this issue. It started after upgrading to iPadOS 14.I am working with Apple support to hopefully get it figured out.

    Reply
  9. Juan garcia says

    July 8, 2020 at 6:36 pm

    Same shit happeing to me 🙁 I pad Air 3 gen

    Reply
    • Amar Nath Dube says

      September 20, 2020 at 3:12 am

      I too have the same problem. IPad Air 3 and Apple pencil Gen 1, after updating to iPadOS 14, pencil stopped working. I did all the steps advised by Apple Care but problem not resolved.

      Reply
  10. E A says

    July 5, 2020 at 1:47 pm

    Ipad Air Gen 3 here, at first it still connected on my device but it wont function normally. I decided to unpair it only to find my pencil wont pair to my ipad, there’s no pop up for pairing, eventho i already tried all the steps above.

    Any ideas how?

    Reply
    • J L says

      July 7, 2020 at 1:39 pm

      Im having the same problem with mine. Running the latest version of iOS

      Reply
      • BN says

        July 9, 2020 at 7:11 pm

        I have not been able to pair mine at all, thought the first pencil was a dud, second pencil not pairing either. Doesn’t give me the option to pair when I plug it into the ipad. Bluetooth is working because other devices connect with no problem. Did you find a solution?

        Reply
        • KA says

          August 13, 2020 at 1:50 am

          Same issue here-iPad air 3. Pencil pairs fine w older iPad.

          Reply
          • Bethany says

            August 19, 2020 at 1:45 am

            Same issue here. Any update?

    • Wynn says

      November 30, 2020 at 12:01 pm

      I’m having the same issue with an iPad Air 4 and second gen pencil on IOS 14.2 has anyone fixed theirs yet?

      Reply
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