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Apple Pencil will not connect

Hi, I recently got an Apple Pencil 1st Generation to go with my 2017 iPad Pro 12.9” and it doesn’t seem to be working. I follow the steps, plug in Apple Pencil to the lightning port, wait for the pop-up asking to pair and it doesn’t. It says connected for the limit of about 2 seconds and then says not connected - even if I haven’t removed the Pencil from the socket. I have left it charging for about 15 minutes and no avail - it still doesn’t work. However, now it takes a few try’s for it even to show the pop-up box asking to pair! Any advice on how to fix this problem would be much appreciated.

iPad Pro 12.9-inch, 2nd Gen, Wi-Fi

Posted on Apr 8, 2020 1:22 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 8, 2020 2:18 AM

As described, your Apple Pencil is displaying symptoms of a dead battery - that will not accept or hold any charge.


Assuming that you do not have any other iPad charging issues - and that the Lightning Port of your iPad is free from debris - whilst the Pencil is plugged-in to the Lightning Port of your iPad, verify that the Pencil is recognised:

Settings > General > About


Scroll to the bottom of the page - and you should find two identical entries for the Pencil (one each for the physical and Bluetooth connections).


The tiny internal Li-ion battery is susceptible to permanent/irreversible damage through being left discharged for long periods. Even some “new” pencils can exhibit signs of failure out-of-the-box if they are “old stock”.


It is essential that if you have an Apple Pencil that you charge it regularly - whether used or not - so as to protect the battery from deep-discharge. Do not allow a pencil to remain in low-charge state for any period of time - as the internal battery will fail, rendering the Pencil useless.


If the Pencil Battery has failed, the only remedy is to replace the Pencil. If purchased directly from Apple, if the battery has failed and your pencil is within its one-year warranty, you should look to having it replaced when the Apple Stores eventually reopen.


I hope this information proves to be helpful in both diagnosing and resolving the problem.


Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 8, 2020 2:18 AM in response to angus9026

As described, your Apple Pencil is displaying symptoms of a dead battery - that will not accept or hold any charge.


Assuming that you do not have any other iPad charging issues - and that the Lightning Port of your iPad is free from debris - whilst the Pencil is plugged-in to the Lightning Port of your iPad, verify that the Pencil is recognised:

Settings > General > About


Scroll to the bottom of the page - and you should find two identical entries for the Pencil (one each for the physical and Bluetooth connections).


The tiny internal Li-ion battery is susceptible to permanent/irreversible damage through being left discharged for long periods. Even some “new” pencils can exhibit signs of failure out-of-the-box if they are “old stock”.


It is essential that if you have an Apple Pencil that you charge it regularly - whether used or not - so as to protect the battery from deep-discharge. Do not allow a pencil to remain in low-charge state for any period of time - as the internal battery will fail, rendering the Pencil useless.


If the Pencil Battery has failed, the only remedy is to replace the Pencil. If purchased directly from Apple, if the battery has failed and your pencil is within its one-year warranty, you should look to having it replaced when the Apple Stores eventually reopen.


I hope this information proves to be helpful in both diagnosing and resolving the problem.


Apple Pencil will not connect

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