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Hi - I’m starting at a school in the fall that used iPads instead of computers so I thought I would use my IPad Air (1) and get a new stylus and find a keyboard case for it. However - the Apple site says that the Apple Pencil only works for iPads made in 2018+. I was wondering if this was accurate or a marketing ploy and the stylus actually does work on an iPad Air 1. Thanks for the help.
iPad Air Wi-Fi
Here is Apple’s definitive compatibility listing for both the first and second generation Apple Pencil.
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
You can use Apple Pencil (2nd generation) with these iPad models:
Apple Pencil (1st generation)
You can use Apple Pencil (1st generation) with these iPad models:
Not sure which iPad you have? Identify your iPad model.
As you will see, your existing iPad is not compatible with Apple Pencil. This is not a marketing consideration, but is a technical limitation. Unless the iPad has specific screen-hardware that works with the Pencil, an iPad has no way to detect or communicate the pencil’s interaction with the iPad screen.
If you need to use an Apple Pencil, you will need to replace your iPad.
There are available third-party stylii that can be used with iPad - with mixed capability and usefulness. I’m certain that additional “help” with be forthcoming from other contributors soon - and some of it will be overwhelmingly lengthy in its content opinion. Here is the concise summary, intentionally limited to technical capability...
You will find simple styli that are effectively a simple substitute for your fingertip. These may offer great precision in context of where you “touch” the screen of your iPad, but little else. There are also some Bluetooth Styli, such as the Adonit Pixel - but these are entirely dependent upon support being provided by individual Apps. These have usefulness typically limited to so a subset of available App titles.
Here is Apple’s definitive compatibility listing for both the first and second generation Apple Pencil.
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
You can use Apple Pencil (2nd generation) with these iPad models:
Apple Pencil (1st generation)
You can use Apple Pencil (1st generation) with these iPad models:
Not sure which iPad you have? Identify your iPad model.
As you will see, your existing iPad is not compatible with Apple Pencil. This is not a marketing consideration, but is a technical limitation. Unless the iPad has specific screen-hardware that works with the Pencil, an iPad has no way to detect or communicate the pencil’s interaction with the iPad screen.
If you need to use an Apple Pencil, you will need to replace your iPad.
There are available third-party stylii that can be used with iPad - with mixed capability and usefulness. I’m certain that additional “help” with be forthcoming from other contributors soon - and some of it will be overwhelmingly lengthy in its content opinion. Here is the concise summary, intentionally limited to technical capability...
You will find simple styli that are effectively a simple substitute for your fingertip. These may offer great precision in context of where you “touch” the screen of your iPad, but little else. There are also some Bluetooth Styli, such as the Adonit Pixel - but these are entirely dependent upon support being provided by individual Apps. These have usefulness typically limited to so a subset of available App titles.
Stylus for IPad Air 1st Generation
