Apple Pencil Glitching

I may have a suggestion:

If you are using a case and screen protector, try exposing some of the metal on the side of the iPad and keeping a finger on it while you write with the other hand. Perhaps when you are writing you are generating some static electricity that is interfering with the pencil and iPad.

Please post a reply if this works for you. If it does, maybe someone from apple support could chime in on an actual fix?

Hope this helps!

Hello,

I have had this issue and after replacing my iPad and Apple Pencil multiple times, I can proudly say I have solved this problem.

As others have posted, this issue is due to the ESD which causes the iPad to register false touches. It is to be noted that grounding yourself works but it's not that elegant of a solution. The ESD occurs at the rim of the iPad as shown below.

I have an 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 inch, without a screen protector or case. I've kept it on the magic folio keyboard.

The natural position of writing something would be to rest your hand on this rim, that is where we ground ourself and cause some ESD to release onto the screen.

The only comfortable way to prevent this is to keep your hand slightly raised above the edge as shown below. This is a natural writing position and is not uncomfortable. To facilitate this comfortably you have to keep the writing in the middle part of the iPad screen. Please refer to the images below.

This has been working for me since the past week. I can safely say this works. But if for some reason it is still not solving the glitch lines problem. I think you might need a humidifier or proper grounding or a lycra glove. The method listed above is the only free and easy method that I know of.

Thank you.

Dhruv

Hi,

I have exactly the same issue and in my case even touching it with my hand causes the same trouble. If anyone found a long term solution please let me know. I am going to the apple store on Monday, so if none of you found the solution, I will share what the Apple employees told me.

This issue seems to have been around a while:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7622195 "Random Horizontal Apple Pencil Streaks" 2016

and is also mentioned here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251936184

and on Notability's website since its users have been asking them if it is their fault:

https://support.gingerlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/360054114791-Random-Lines-while-Writing-with-Apple-Pencil

Mine seems linked to the device being plugged in while using. I'm being told to do a full OS refresh by support before they help me since I was on the Beta.

***THIS IS THE FIX!!*** It worked for me too, at least...to disable the "click" to change from pen to eraser (Settings -> Apple Pencil -> tap to click to change from pen to eraser. THANK YOU!!!!

Hello dd271,

After reviewing your post, it seems like the Apple Pencil is putting random dots and lines when using it in the Notability. If it is isolated to only one app we can see if any updates are available for that app. Try unpairing and then pair the Apple Pencil with the iPad.

Does it happen more or less often if it is charged or low on battery?

Charge your Apple Pencil and check the battery

Connect Apple Pencil with your iPad

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a nice day.

Hi

this is happening to me too (also on ipad pro 12.9 gen4 and 2nd gen pencil). Just wondering what the apple employees said? Also, if they replaced the ipad does this seem to have fixed the issue?

I'm using my ipad on top of a big mousemat and I'm wondering if that could be generating static (I'm also left handed and wonder if that has anything to do with it..) I'm gonna try keeping a finger against the metal to ground it and see if that helps & I'll try without the mousemat too.

Both 2018/2020 11 inch screen iPad Pros and the 10.5 inch screen 2019 iPad Air 3, the new 2020 10.9 inch screen iPad Air 4 models suffer from this issue, too!

As well as intermittent, unresponsive touch screen issues.

This is, also, seems to affect the older 2017, 10.5 and 12.9 inch screen iPad Pro models, too!

Also, this Pencil issues seems to affect both versions of the Pencil .

This Pencil glitching issues have been going on for quite sometime.

It maybe a software issue, but more and more, I feel that this is a combination of a software AND actual hardware issue, that Apple engineers have simply not been able to solve.

Both the touch screen issues, as well as the Pencil issues, which, again, I feel are both mutually related issues.

I implore everyone with ongoing Pencil issues and touch screen issues to contact Apple support via the contact support link located at the upper right hand corner of every Webpage of these Apple support communities.

Use the Device Performance and Connectivity support categories.

OR

by installing and using the Apple Support app found in the iOS App Store.

Tap the iOS App Store link below.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-support/id1130498044

Best of Luck to You!

Yeah,

I get it!

I understand. Me too!

Everyone here could just keep hammering the Apple iPad feedback page on these Pencil and touch screen issues.

Apple employees/teams never personally respond to individual feeeback.

Most of the regular contributors here have been told by the moderators here that the info gets read and disseminated by someone/s at Apple to where the feedback has to go and to whom and which teams responsible.

So, if everyone just keeps sending regular, semi-regular feedback on these Pencil and touch screen issues, Apple can't just keep ignoring these issues.

Feedback - iPad - Apple

That is all about I have to offer for advise to stay in the back of the minds of responsible Apple employees and teams on these issues.

No other users here can offer no real permanent solutions or fixes. Only “band-aids”, too!

That includes me, as well, although I have been keeping track of these particular iPad screen and Pencil issues, here, for quite a a long time now.

Hey dd271,

Thanks for the update. One thing you can try is to reinstall iOS on the iPad and see if the issue persists.

Do you see the random dots and lines in a specific section of the screen?

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

1. "Make sure that your Mac is up to date. If you're using iTunes, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes. 
2. On a Mac with macOS Catalina, open Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes. If iTunes is already open, close it, then open it again. Find out which macOS your Mac is using.
3. Keep your device connected and wait until the recovery mode screen appears:

• • iPad models that don't have a Home button: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Press and hold the Top button until your device begins to restart. Continue holding the Top button until your device goes into recovery mode.
  • iPhone 8 or later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery mode screen.
  • iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPod touch (7th generation): Press and hold the Top (or Side) and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery mode screen.
• iPad with Home button, iPhone 6s or earlier, and iPod touch (6th generation) or earlier: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery mode screen.
  • 

1. Locate your device on your computer. When you see the option to Restore or Update, choose Update. Your computer will try to reinstall the software without erasing your data. "

If you can't update or restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Have a good one.

I tried this with one finger then two, neither helped. I’ve dropped my iPencil off the desk a few times so just replaced it with a new unit, same dots and lines all over the screen both in landscape and portrait mode.

I changed my magnetic case from KAVAJ back to the Apple SmartFolio (on my 12.9 4th gen). Still throwing dots and lines :( The only thing that seemed to help was when I scratched my head with one hand and rubbed my belly with the other - which meant I could not use the iPencil or iPad. PROBLEM SOLVED !

I’ve spoken with apple technical support, they’re aware of the issue, though they didn’t have a ‘fix’ I was told to disable the pencil ‘click’ (to change from pen to eraser) and I haven’t had the issue since, it’s been two weeks now and I was having the issue almost every day before that change and did basically everything else possible before that weird solution. I haven’t turned the pencil click back on to check if it comes back out of fear of it not going away again ;) ;)

I don't have any other ideas other than not use a case or try a different case.

I agree, I don't think this is a solution and would appreciate apple support stepping in with a real solution. On my iPad, if I don't touch the metal rim, the iPad is basically unusable. However when I touch the rim it never glitches. If I remove the case, it never glitches, but that is because I am always touching the rim with some part of my hand or arm. Not sure what, if anything, the screen protector is doing (like creating static electricity), but I don't want to spend a bunch of money to empirically test what is causing this.

I hope we can find a solution...

No they don't.

No Apple direct engineering/design employees read these largely user helping user communities.

I have no idea why they don't, but they just don't.

You CAN reach Apple using their product feedback pages or actual Apple support via the contact link at the upper right hand corner of every support page.

Feedback - iPad - Apple

That is about it.

And, during this whole pandemic time, I am not sure if supoort can be elevated to Apple engineering level supoort staff, like it used to pre-pandemic.