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How to save battery/charge on Apple Pencil

I want to safety charge on my Apple Pencil for when I need it? I don’t use it nearly as much as a lot of people would so if I don’t use it for several days when I go to use it it’s deplated. Is there anyway to turn off the Apple Pencil so you can save the charge until you want it?

Apple Pencil-OTHER

Posted on Mar 6, 2018 6:55 AM

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Posted on Mar 6, 2018 11:03 AM

It is smart BT 4.0 and has an accelerometer built in, so it knows when it is idle and when it is being used. After about 30 minutes or so of sitting completely idle you’ll see it disappear from the battery widget as it goes into sleep mode. In sleep mode mine easily lasts 4-5 days without completely losing charge (and it’s nearly 2 years old now).


So if not using it, just put it somewhere it will not get moved around and woken up and it will be okay for at least several days.


It can’t be completely disabled or shut down though so you should charge it periodically, or leave it plugged into a power supply since, like all Apple lithium battery devices, it will not over-charge and can be safely left plugged in between periods of use.

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Mar 6, 2018 11:03 AM in response to Arkykat

It is smart BT 4.0 and has an accelerometer built in, so it knows when it is idle and when it is being used. After about 30 minutes or so of sitting completely idle you’ll see it disappear from the battery widget as it goes into sleep mode. In sleep mode mine easily lasts 4-5 days without completely losing charge (and it’s nearly 2 years old now).


So if not using it, just put it somewhere it will not get moved around and woken up and it will be okay for at least several days.


It can’t be completely disabled or shut down though so you should charge it periodically, or leave it plugged into a power supply since, like all Apple lithium battery devices, it will not over-charge and can be safely left plugged in between periods of use.

Mar 24, 2018 2:59 AM in response to MichelPM

If what you say is true then that means every pencil that Apple sells is going to be useless. For example, each pencil is charged or partially charged at manufacture, correct? Logically that means that every pencil that is in a stores stock is going to to discharge fully in 4 or 5 days time and be useless by what you are suggesting. Well I have have just purchased one and I have no idea how long that pencil has been in the store and no idea how long it took to be shipped from Apple USA but I guess it was a lot longer than 4 or 5 days. It is working fine and charging ok. Sorry but i had to reply cause your idea does not make sense.

regards Rob H Australia

Mar 6, 2018 9:45 AM in response to Arkykat

Whatever you do, always maintain a charge in the Apple Pencil.

Never let it discharge completely to 0% for any time greater than a day or two or you will kill the small, Li-ion battery in the Pencil and it will be dead after 3-4 days of being completely discharged and YOU WILL have to purchase another brand new Apple Pencil.


Due to the “always on and active” nature of the Apple Pencil, in addition to the small battery cell, the Apple Pencil always continues to drain the small power cell down, even when not using the Pencil.

So, you to keep a charge in the Apple Pencil daily, even when not using it.

So, you need to keep track of how charged up the Apple Pencil is and keep a charge in it.

You don't have to always charge it up fully, but the Li-ion battery needs to keep some significant level/percentage of charge.


Good Luck to You!

Mar 24, 2018 3:25 AM in response to Boreus

It may not do this initially when it is new, but the Li-ion cell is so small, that I bet, that once you start constantly charging/discharging/recharging that small Li-ion cell, within a certain period of time, if you let that cell discharge to zero and leave it that way for a week, it will be dead and will fail to charge.

I have already fielded about a dozen posts with about a dozen or so Pencil users in each of these posts and this is the pattern I am seeing.

It may ONLY be isolated incidents of this so far, to date, but there is a regular pattern to these Apple Pencil failures.

Many of these Pencil failures have happened in less than a year!

Some have happened around or within the 6 month window, too!

So, we shall see if I am correct and my theory/observation holds, or not!


Enjoy your new Apple Pencil! Hopefully, yours will last more than six months to a year!


Have fun with your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil & Good Luck to You!

How to save battery/charge on Apple Pencil

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