Is Apple Pencil 2nd Gen compatible with iPad Pro M4?

atomiqueball wrote:

I was considering the iPad Pro M4 (thiner, lighter) in replacement of my M1 (that I love but what a brick) but with the confirmation of the Pencil 2 not working with it…this won’t happen, total deal breaker. Enough greed…and how many different model of pencils do we need?

And 100 bucks for a smart folio case….come on…

Consider digesting my earlier reply within this thread - where you will find a full explanation as to why the second generation Pencil is incompatible with the new 2024 models of iPad Pro and iPad Air.

Par_sec wrote

After ordering an 2024 Air just 4 hours ago, this is very bad news. I ordered the new device assuming my Apple Pencil 2nd gen is compatible. So I would need two pencils now. A 2nd gen Pencil for my older iPad Pro and a Pencil Pro for the new Air.

Consequently I just canceled my order. A very regrettable design decision by Apple!

It is never good to assume downward compatibility, especially when considering the purchase of new, leading edge technology. The rule is to always do your research before making a purchase.

I had placed an order for the new iPad 2 days ago, but when I learned yesterday that my 2nd generation Pencil was NOT compatible, I cancelled the order today. I am angry and incensed that Apple expects me to purchase ANOTHER Pencil when I have a perfectly good one, especially since I planned on trading in my older iPad for the new one. The OLD Pencil is ticketyboo, but my 2nd gen pencil is not because of the "new" design. THIS IS INSULTING.

I know that NO ONE at Apple cares one way or another about one lone dissatisfied customer. When the time comes to upgrade my other Apple products, like my iPhone, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, I am going to seriously explore other devices from other providers. Apple will probably be losing me as a customer. I should not have to pay for new accessories every time I upgrade equipment.

DirkHesse wrote:

It only works with an M4 ipad Pro or the new iPad Air which has the same M2 Chip then my iPad. We are talking about a simple Stylus. The M2 chip will carry me for years...I'm not willing to upgrade to have a similar experience as the Surface pens.

The Apple Pencil is not a "simple stylus". If you want a simple stylus, there are certainly capacitive styluses that should work and will be much less expensive. Of course, they won't have the features that an Apple Pencil has.

reags_b wrote:

Be warned guys, the new Apple Pencil pro isn’t performing too well here in Australia as it launched here yesterday How to turn barrel roll off new apple pen… - Apple Community

There is a difference between a few people not liking a feature or someone not understanding how to use a feature and the Pencil not performing too well.

SibProf wrote:

Apple didn’t make the incompatibility very clear up front. Their burying this information at deeper levels where it can be discovered but is not immediately clear to the would-be buyer borders on deception. I probably would have bought this wonderful device anyway if I’d known, but I trusted Apple products to be compatible somewhat longer, so didn’t dig deep enough. My bad. No more. It rankles me when cheap, older pencils are compatible with my new purchase, while my expensive Pencil 2 is obsolete. In the future I’ll be as suspicious of Apple as of some obscure company with an unpronounceable name.

I googled "Apple Pencil compatibity". This is the first result:

Apple Pencil compatibility - Apple Support

It seems quite clear and easy to find. But, I've never been one to buy expensive electronics without first doing my research.

Not planning to buy either now--have a non M1 and an M1 Pro 12.9 but found today there are a lot of alternatives to Pencil 2 which I use daily for some quick sketches (for own use), PDF editing, note taking and photo editing. Hope to get another year or 2 from 2021 Pro but will start to look at alternative accessories for surefor when I do upgrade.

shacker2762 wrote:

I'm sure there's some technical reason Apple could not / did not want to make Pencil 2 compatible with the M4 iPad Pro.

Undoubtedly, many will exclaim, "corporate greed" or "apple tax" but if we're in a position to turn in our older iPads and buy the latest but our line in the sand is the accessories, I think we're doing OK.

But, It looks like Apple is only looking for new entrants into the iPad market or those who are handing their current device and accessories over to someone else, then buying a whole new set and not those of us who want to simply lift and replace our current iPad for the new M4.

Oh, well. It's not like my current M1 iPad Pro is any slouch. Onwards.

The second generation Apple Pencil is not compatible with the just-announced new iPad Pro M4 models.

The front camera and FaceID sensor array have been relocated from the short-edge to the long-edge of the iPad - such that the camera and sensor array are now positioned top-centre of the screen when the iPad is positioned in Landscape orientation. As such, the camera/sensor array now occupy the internal cavity previously used for the second generation Pencil's inductive pairing/charging system.

To accommodate this change, the charging system for the Apple Pencil has been completely redesigned - moving the associated electronics to different cavity locations along the top edge of the iPad chassis. The new Apple Pencil Pro has been specifically designed to accommodate the new physical architecture.

As such, the second generation Pencil is incompatible with the new iPad's Pro. Similarly, the new Apple Pencil Pro is also incompatible with earlier models of iPad Pro.

My new Apple Pencil Pro just arrived from UPS and I was wondering why it will not connect with my 12,9" Ipad Pro (2022).

It only works with an M4 ipad Pro or the new iPad Air which has the same M2 Chip then my iPad. We are talking about a simple Stylus. The M2 chip will carry me for years...I'm not willing to upgrade to have a similar experience as the Surface pens.

I had to personalize my pencil because my Son has the 2nd Generation Pencil and they are indistinguishable. What prevents me from returning the item. Jeez I'm so angry right now.

Apple why? This is pure Marketing nonsense and not "It just works".

What a silly comment. We've got 5 Mac's and 3 iPads so happy to spend money on their kit. However, forcing us to buy not only the new iPad, but also the pencil and case is just outrageous. I've held the new one m whilst also holding my 5th Gen 12.9 pro, and whilst it's an upgrade, it's already a stretch to justify the expense. Adding hundreds more is just taking the p*$s

Like others here I’m very upset. I purchased the new M4 iPad Pro and the “genius” I dealt with told me the 2nd gen pencil was definitely compatible with the new iPad. Now I see it isn’t….. Not happy at all. First the keyboard isn’t compatible, now the pencil. The greed here is going over the top. Not allowing for a trade in program to upgrade the pencil is a disgrace in my eyes.

What a silly comment - multiple advisors at Apple couldn't explain how to use the functions so I perceived these as performance issues, not my fault. I went to the Apple Store yesterday, and it took them half an hour to figure out how to do double tap.

I was at the Apple store this morning looking at the iPad Pro 13 and the employee talked about the new pencil. I asked him if the old pencil worked with the new 13 and he said YES. Bought the new 13 this afternoon and found out how wrong Apple's own employee is!

Apple didn’t make the incompatibility very clear up front. Their burying this information at deeper levels where it can be discovered but is not immediately clear to the would-be buyer borders on deception. I probably would have bought this wonderful device anyway if I’d known, but I trusted Apple products to be compatible somewhat longer, so didn’t dig deep enough. My bad. No more. It rankles me when cheap, older pencils are compatible with my new purchase, while my expensive Pencil 2 is obsolete. In the future I’ll be as suspicious of Apple as of some obscure company with an unpronounceable name.

stevenwcronin wrote:

I get the need to change the design, etc. I think Apple will sell a bunch more iPad Pros if you offer something like $40 - $75 for old 2nd Apple Pencils in the store. These pencils could then be resold to others. If you treat your customers reasonably well, you will sell more iPads by resolving this Apple Pencil issue. I'm an apple fan, and an apple shareholder who thinks you should consider this idea. Let us know.

First, perhaps understand the Apple Support Community is a user-to-user technical forum. Contributors here are all end-users, just like you. Other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitor nor participate here. As such, if you hope to reach Apple through these forums, you will be disappointed.

Apple does invite submission of constructive comments and feedback bug via its Product Feedback portal. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple