Apple pen and the ipad mini 4
Does the Apple pen work to take notes on the ipad mini 4?
Does the Apple pen work to take notes on the ipad mini 4?
No Apple Pencils work with a 2015 iPad Mini 4.
Sorry.
No iPad made before late 2015 can ever use any version of the Apple Pencil
Your iPad is too old and has missing screen layer hardware needed for an Apple Pencil to be recognised and function.
There are NO MORE good third party, smart Bluetooth stylii for older iPads, any longer.
With the Apple Pencil being more widely available to many more newer iPad models, today, third party Bluetooth stylus makers have simply given up on producing any more Bluetooth stylii for older model iPads and iPads that are fast approaching 9-10 years old, now.
This may not be what you want to read/learn, but this is the reality today.
Again, Sorry.
Since Apple stopped supporting these older iPads, many accessory manufacturers have also quit makng things that work with older iPads, as well, and this includes oldr, smart Bluetooth stylii that were direct competitors for the original Apple Pencil 1.
Stylus maker Adonit did one more shipping round of their Adonit Pixel waaaay back in March 2020, just before the CO-vid quarantine, but they have seemed to have desisted from continuing to produce this older smart, Bluetooth stylus for older iPad models, any longer.
There are NO smart, Bluetooth stylii for ANY older iPad models any longer!
Sorry.
Your only options, today, are the easy to obtain/purchase fatter tipped, commonplace, capacitive stylii on the market
OR
capacitive stylii that use a clear disc tip ( the clear disc tipped ones are more accurate for writing or drawing ), but with the clear disc type of stylii, you should look for one that has a disc that is made from a clear, flexible material that will minimise any type of scratching should any type of grit or dirt gets on the tip.
(This little tidbit of warning applies to ALL stylus types as all can scratch your iPad’s screen if dirt and grit are allowed to drag on a stylus tip across the iPad's screen ).
OR
The so-called, fine tipped “Active”, battery powered ( most times rechargeable battery powered ) capacitive stylii, like many found on Amazon.
These fine tipped, “Active” stylii use a battery to send a tiny electrical current to the fine tip of these stylii that simulates an actual finger touch to the iPad's screen.
These types of stylii are not the greatest and many of these produce varying degrees of noticeable line jitter when drawing any type of angular lines.
Some of these “Active“ stylii do a better job at minimising this angular line jitter than others, but I have no idea which ones do minimise this better, so if searching for one of these on Amazon, you will need to read the reviews.
Also, still need to make sure that these “Active” battery powered stylii are compatible with your IPad model.
Some of these, especially new to market ones, are NOT!
All of these these types of stylii work with all sketching/drawing/painting/writing apps, but without any palm rejection and/or screen pressure features.
You can use this stylus with other apps but will not be able to lay your palm on the screen, while you write or draw, unless you use special, non-body electrical conducting, lycra-based material drawing glove that works by isolating your hand/palm electrical impulses from the iPad's screen and allowing you to lay your hand/palm on the screen as you draw or write.
Something like these found on Amazon.
Some other glove makers, like these examples, found on Amazon, as well.
Best of Luck to You
No Apple Pencils work with a 2015 iPad Mini 4.
Sorry.
No iPad made before late 2015 can ever use any version of the Apple Pencil
Your iPad is too old and has missing screen layer hardware needed for an Apple Pencil to be recognised and function.
There are NO MORE good third party, smart Bluetooth stylii for older iPads, any longer.
With the Apple Pencil being more widely available to many more newer iPad models, today, third party Bluetooth stylus makers have simply given up on producing any more Bluetooth stylii for older model iPads and iPads that are fast approaching 9-10 years old, now.
This may not be what you want to read/learn, but this is the reality today.
Again, Sorry.
Since Apple stopped supporting these older iPads, many accessory manufacturers have also quit makng things that work with older iPads, as well, and this includes oldr, smart Bluetooth stylii that were direct competitors for the original Apple Pencil 1.
Stylus maker Adonit did one more shipping round of their Adonit Pixel waaaay back in March 2020, just before the CO-vid quarantine, but they have seemed to have desisted from continuing to produce this older smart, Bluetooth stylus for older iPad models, any longer.
There are NO smart, Bluetooth stylii for ANY older iPad models any longer!
Sorry.
Your only options, today, are the easy to obtain/purchase fatter tipped, commonplace, capacitive stylii on the market
OR
capacitive stylii that use a clear disc tip ( the clear disc tipped ones are more accurate for writing or drawing ), but with the clear disc type of stylii, you should look for one that has a disc that is made from a clear, flexible material that will minimise any type of scratching should any type of grit or dirt gets on the tip.
(This little tidbit of warning applies to ALL stylus types as all can scratch your iPad’s screen if dirt and grit are allowed to drag on a stylus tip across the iPad's screen ).
OR
The so-called, fine tipped “Active”, battery powered ( most times rechargeable battery powered ) capacitive stylii, like many found on Amazon.
These fine tipped, “Active” stylii use a battery to send a tiny electrical current to the fine tip of these stylii that simulates an actual finger touch to the iPad's screen.
These types of stylii are not the greatest and many of these produce varying degrees of noticeable line jitter when drawing any type of angular lines.
Some of these “Active“ stylii do a better job at minimising this angular line jitter than others, but I have no idea which ones do minimise this better, so if searching for one of these on Amazon, you will need to read the reviews.
Also, still need to make sure that these “Active” battery powered stylii are compatible with your IPad model.
Some of these, especially new to market ones, are NOT!
All of these these types of stylii work with all sketching/drawing/painting/writing apps, but without any palm rejection and/or screen pressure features.
You can use this stylus with other apps but will not be able to lay your palm on the screen, while you write or draw, unless you use special, non-body electrical conducting, lycra-based material drawing glove that works by isolating your hand/palm electrical impulses from the iPad's screen and allowing you to lay your hand/palm on the screen as you draw or write.
Something like these found on Amazon.
Some other glove makers, like these examples, found on Amazon, as well.
Best of Luck to You
Apple Pencil is not supported by the iPad mini4.
Here is the compatibility list for Apple Pencil and iPad:
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.
Other than basic capacitive styli, which offers no more functionality than the Mark-1 fingertip, you not find any alternatives.
Adonit used to manufacture compatible Bluetooth stylus, but these are now long gone. The Adonit stylus did not provide system-level integration per Apple Pencil, but was instead entirely reliant upon Apps being individually coded to provide support.
Should you find a suitable Bluetooth stylus, be sure to post details here. You will have found the “emperors new clothes”...
Just about any bluetooth styli.
Wacom makes some, as does Adonit. You can look on their sites and see which models are compatible with your iPad and does what you need it to do.
Not any longer.
Is there another pencil on the market that does work with the ipad mini 4?
Thanks!
Apple pen and the ipad mini 4