Apple Pencil no longer working after recent software update

They want us to spend even more money. It's why I never purchase apple products, they disable things to make their products stop working so that y'all buy more and more. If it wasn't for procreate being such an amazing art software then I would have never purchased an iPad or Apple pen. I even splurged and customized my pen coz I was so excited to finally have the art software I wanted for my commissions. They're trying to blame it on the users by saying we didn't charge our pens correctly or we messed up some random setting, when in reality THIS MANY PEOPLE would not be having the same issue all at the same time. I won't be purchasing another apple pen/pencil most likely, I'll just use a cheaper brand pen.

I have a 2020 iPad Pro - and have always had a second gen Apple Pencil. It has always worked swimmingly.

Last week, the tip of the pencil became wobbly - probably as a result of dropping it. My fault. I bought a new pencil and it connected and worked fine.

Then on Sunday 21st January I installed iPadOS 17.3 (21D50)

The pencil stopped working. When snapped to the outside of the case - the "Apple Pencil" notification appears - but with no charge state. The pencil is not connecting via bluetooth. No gestures are recognised.

I tried all the things which are normally suggested. Rebooting. Resetting the network settings. Forgetting the pencil and so on. There is no issue with pencil charge state. Nothing works.

I then tried using my old pencil (the one with the broken tip) - this works fine. Connects instantly - works as it should (apart from the wobbly end).

So something odd is happening here. Perhaps later model Apple Pencils have had some minor firmware change. And this new build of iPad OS has omitted to include compatibility with newer pencils?

I am certain this is an OS issue. I would report to Apple's bug reporting system, but no one appears to look at those things.

Same here! I have an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil first gen I’ve been using for at least 4 years without a problem.

Since the last iOS 17 update the pencil has been faulty and now it’s completely useless. It’s shown in the Bluetooth list but doesn’t connect at all.

I thought this was a problem with the pencil itself until I noticed the connection between the update and the problem and then found this forum… iOS 17 is unbelievably faulty and it surprises me such a reckless version of the software is out.

Many of us need this the Pencil for working and no, we’re not interested in buying another overpriced product because Apple decided so.

Reading through this thread, there are a number of different problems being described - but all are super frustrating. But I think there is one issue which is the main problem.

I bought a replacement 2nd gen pencil, which worked fine until an iPadOS software update bricked it. My older pencil continued to work. My first assumption was this was a software bug in the update. I am now certain this is not the case.

I got a full refund from Apple, because the pencil was new.

What I think is happening (to some of us) is that the new OS attempts to upgrade the firmware in the pencil over Bluetooth. In most cases this happens without incident. But in a tiny percentage of instances, the update fails and the pencil loses its ability to communicate over Bluetooth entirely. This renders the pencil totally broken with no means to reset or reinstall the update.

This will result in:

• The pencil wont work or connect.
• No battery state is reported for the pencil when it is snapped to the iPad.
• Forgetting and re-pairing will time out

If this has happened to you there is no remedy other than returning it to Apple. If the pencil is out of warranty, I would point out that a working pencil was broken by a software update. You might get a sympathetic response.

Same issue here, went to a verified Apple Store, but they wouldn't give me a replacement. Pretty sure this is an iPad issue, and not an Apple Pencil issue.

i am also having the same problem. i did everything they told me and i constantly kept saying it started once i updated to ios 17. they kept asking the same questions and kept insisting it was my pencil that might be faulty. Nothing they suggested helped and im just stuck with an inoperable pencil stuck to the side of my ipad. if anybody finds a solution it would be very appreciated and would save me money before ill have to buy a new one.

This is my same issue and ironically my apple care expired at the same time so if I need to have my iPad Pro checked I gotta pay for it out of pocket. As soon as I updated my pen literally won’t work. Won’t charge, nor will it even show up under settings as soon as I forgot device it won’t even show up now.

I am having this issue, and just came up with another possible explanation.

All the people reporting on this thread notice the failure after a software update (but all not the same version of iPadOS)

This is my theory: the iPad OS update includes a firmware update for the pencil - which occurs over bluetooth. For most people, this works fine. For a handful of people, the firmware update fails to complete and leaves the pencil in a bricked state.

same for me, I have an iPad Pro 3rd generation and an Apple Pencil 2,

it stopped working and after removing it from the Bluetooth list by using "forget this device," it just stopped showing the device in the Bluetooth devices. I literally tried everything, even this strange video which did help a lot of people, but it didn't work for me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwcDuPqZZeE

the pencil is working on another iPad, so it is not the pencil.

is there any way of doing a reset to the Bluetooth data only?

Same I even hard reset mine and still nothing my apple pencil dont even pull up at all on my ipad. Its not the pencil either cause it works on my sisters ipad. Im frustrated it literally stopped working as soon as I updated my ipad smh

This support page may be helpful with pairing and use of the Pencil with your iPad:

Connect Apple Pencil with your iPad - Apple Support

If you continue to experience difficulties, here is one of the better troubleshooting guides:

https://appletoolbox.com/apple-pencil-not-working-heres-our-troubleshooting-guide/

Be aware that if your Pencil has been set-aside for an extended period, unused and uncharged, the Pencil battery may have been damaged through deep discharge. In common with all Li-ion batteries, they must always have some level of charge.

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. Setting aside an unused Pencil, for extended periods, is a recipe for premature death of the Pencil battery.

If the Pencil Battery has failed, the only remedy is to replace the Pencil. If the battery has failed and your pencil is within its one-year warranty, you should look to having it replaced by your retailer or at an Apple Store.

Gentle warming of the Pencil (such as placing on a hot water radiator), prior to attempting charging of the Pencil, can sometimes resurrect a dead Pencil battery.

If you are unable to resolve the issue yourself, you might be well advised to visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) - where the technicians will be able to test and assess your iPad and Pencil:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

It’s not just the pencil — a music reader won’t do annotations using a finger anymore, either.

This has now just happened to me on updating my iPad Pro to 17.3

Still works on my partners 17.2 iPad Pro

There seems to be 3 threads about this issue now.

Have you tried to do a force restart of you iPad? I would try in this order:

Forget the device

Force Restart

Pair the pencil again and then see if this helps

To do a force restart Press and Release the Volume Up button, then Press and Release the Volume Down button, then press and HOLD the Lock/Siri button till you see the Apple Logo on the screen. Ignore the slider to “Turn off device” and continue to hold the button. Once you see the Apple Logo after the device has turned off and back on, release the Lock/Siri button and let the iPad continue to boot up.

It’s not the iPad that tells the pencil when to charge. It’s the battery in the pencil telling the iPad when it needs charged. That being said, if you suspect that, you can always use the adapter that came with the pencil and charge it with a charger if it’s the lightning version. If it’s Gen 2 then it has to be charged by the iPad, but again, if the battery in the pencil has failed, the battery is going to refuse to take a charge. You will need to schedule something for the Genius Bar to take a look at it and they can diagnose it. However if there is no Apple Care+ then unfortunately you’ll need to replace the pencil by paying full price for a new one. Batteries are consumable items and will fail, properly maintaining them will give you the most use out of them. Unfortunately what is going to happen when the battery fails is the pencil will connect when connected to the iPad because it’s getting power from the iPad, it will show 100% most likely because the pencil is going to refuse charge so the iPad will show it full because the battery has failed and the pencil reports are broken. Once removed from the iPad, it looses power and will then “disconnect” and won’t work and act like it’s not paired because it has no power