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Recently got an iPad Air that SUPPOSEDLY is compatible with the pencil yet I’ve done everything I could and my IPad won’t even notice the pencil. Did I get duped or missing something or defective?
You have identified the just-released 2024 iPad Air (M2). None of the 2024 models of iPad Air and iPad Pro support the second generation Apple Pencil. Instead, your new iPad supports either the new Apple Pencil Pro - or the USB-C Pencil.
Here is Apple’s definitive compatibility list for Apple Pencil and iPad:
Apple Pencil compatibility - Apple Support
Different models of Apple Pencil use entirely different pairing and charging interfaces.
The second generation Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro can only be used with iPad models that have a magnetic/inductive dock that is exclusively designed for the Pencil. Automatic charging and pairing of these Pencils is controlled by the iPad's magnetic dock.
While the second generation Pencil and Pencil Pro both use inductive charging/pairing, the inductive-coupling components that charge the Pencil are positioned differently - this being necessary to accommodate camera hardware used in 2024 models of iPad Pro and iPad Air.
The USB-C Pencil is compatible with all models of iPad that also feature a USB-C port.
In summary, the Apple Pencil models are not interchangeable - and can only be used with the iPad that has appropriate internal hardware.
A very strange limitation which feels like a human but not a technical decision.
fuxx wrote:
A very strange limitation which feels like a human but not a technical decision.
Not so.
While the new iPad Air M2 and iPad Pro M4 have repositioned their inductive charging components - and as such are unable to couple with the second generation Apple Pencil.
The 2024 models of iPad Pro and Air do support the existing USB-C Pencil that pairs and charges using a USB-C cable - and also supports the new Apple Pencil Pro that has been explicitly designed for the repositioned charging interface.
That combination of iPad and Apple Pencil won't work. Click here for the list of which ones are compatible.
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