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Hello,
My Apple Pencil is not changing on my iPad, which is charged at 100%. I learned that it's bad for your Pencil to stay dead, I'm at 1% and not able to write with it. It attaches magnetically to the side of the iPad and charges for a couple seconds then no further charging. I've cleaned the iPad with no resolve. Can this be fixed?
iPad Pro (2nd generation)
I found this thread because I had the same issue of my pencil not being charged.
Theres a much easier way to fix this without having to do a hard reset.
Your pencil will show as charging/charged again.
I found this thread because I had the same issue of my pencil not being charged.
Theres a much easier way to fix this without having to do a hard reset.
Your pencil will show as charging/charged again.
Your Apple Pencil may be showing signs of a failing or failed battery.
Prior to this issue, when was the last time your Pencil was charged up and used?
IF your Pencil was left laying around unused for ANY prolonged period of time without being charged up and ready to use, then your Pencil battery may have failed and your Pencil may be dead.
Sorry.
You cannot store and/or NOT use Pencils for any prolonged period of time and NOT keep them charged up to some level.
If your Pencil/s sat around unused or unopened and not kept charged up for more than a few weeks, or so, OR
EVEN LONGER, then the battery in your Pencil may have failed and is dead and you will have to purchase another
brand new Pencil or, if still under warranty, get a free replacement Pencil from Apple.
Sorry.
And it looks like some things about the Pencil have NOT changed in the new version 2 model, either.
Due to the “always on and active/standby” nature of the Pencil and, also, due to its very tiny rechargeable Li-
ion battery ( smaller than the eraser head on a REAL wooden pencil ), the Pencil needs to be constantly charged up to some significant charge level ALL THE TIME, even when not using the Pencil for prolonged periods of time.
The Pencil needs to be kept CONSTANTLY charged to a minimum of 5-10%, OR GREATER, all the time!
If the Pencil battery is allowed to drain down to 0% and allowed to stay in that flat condition for more than a few weeks, or so, OR EVEN LONGER, that very tiny little Li-ion battery is too small to keep at a 0% state for a long period of time and it will fail and the Pencil will be dead and you may have to “pop” for another $99/$129 Pencil, once again!
Apple only has a one-year warranty on any Apple accessory items.
You need to keep your Pencil CONSTANTLY charged up all the time, even if it is only to 10%-15% charge. It must keep some charge level in that tiny Lithium-ion battery at all times!
One last ditch thing you can try is to plug the Pencil's Lightning connector into the iPad.
Then, try a simple hard reset of your iPad by holding down both the Home and sleep/wake buttons simultaneously until your iPad goes to black and restarts with Apple logo, then release the buttons.
OR
Put your Pencil 2 atop the magnetic charging edge of your iPad.
Then, try the new hard reset procedure for the 2018/2020 iPad Pro/iPad Air 4 models without a Home button.
1. Press and release the volume UP button.
2. Then immediately press and release the volume DOWN button.
3. Then, press and hold the Power button at the top. You will see the Slide to Power off button, but keep on holding down the Power button until you see the Apple logo, then let it go.
Once you have performed all the steps, wait for a few seconds and your iPad Pro will boot up completely to the iPad Pro’s Lock screen.
See if the Pencil starts charging then, when it reaches a sufficient charge, like over 15%, or so, or more, disconnect the Pencil and reconnect it to see if it Bluetooth pairs.
If it does pair, try using it.
You can also try gently warming up your entire Pencil for a few minutes wrapped in a damp dry warm/hot face cloth/towel to warm up the entire Pencil for a few attempts/minutes.
Test the Pencil, again.
If still no joy, your Pencil is definitely dead.
If your Apple Pencil is still under its one-year warranty period, you are still entitled to a free replacement Apple Pencil from Apple.
Use the “Support” link, at the upper right hand corner of the main menu bar to attempt to schedule an appointment with your nearest Apple Store location and bring in both iPad your defective Pencil.
Apple Store employees will be glad to help/assist you with getting another free, replacement Apple Pencil.
Test this Pencil in the Apple Store before you leave the store to make sure both your iPad and replacement Pencil are working together.
Sorry and Best of Luck to You!
June 2024--I attached my apple pencil (gen 2) to my 5th gen iPad Pro (12.9 inch) earlier today and it showed the battery was dead. I left it magnetically attached to the iPad for the entire afternoon, came back, and it still showed 0% on the apple pencil battery. I tried the hard reset suggestion in the above comment and the moment my iPad started back up, the apple pencil was showing 100% on the battery life. So apparently one of the issues is that the pencil is charged, but the iPad isn't recognizing the charged battery, so it was simply displaying a dead battery.
If you're having a similar issue, try the hard reset option first. Worked great for me!
This happened to me too and it’s not the problem with the pencil, it is the problem with the iPad. I used my friend’s iPad and was doing just fine, charging and pairing properly. But my iPad wouldn’t charge or even had the ability to pair Apple Pencil. Apple products are on a major decline. Disappointing to say the least.
Can confirm! As of late April 2024, this method still works!
Sep 2024 and it didn’t work for me. It’s an iPad issue I believe.
A hard reset on the iPad worked for me. The pencil showed it was charging, but never charged before I did it. Thank you for the information.
Mine was left off ipad for a week+. It was showing 7% of battery but my ipad was refusing to charge it.
It was paired and working but it seems not being charging at all.
I’ve unpaired the bluetooth of the pencil from the ipad (tapping to forget the device) and after a new pair it was working normally again.
You’re a wizard! I’ve had this Pencil more than a year as well as the iPad so past the warranty, but the “new hard reset procedure” got it charged. The step by step instructions were clear, thank you. I waited until the pencil was almost done charging before disconnecting and reconnecting the Pencil to verify if Bluetooth pairs, which it did once again! Thank you. Time is precious and we’ve revived this much needed tool!
Moving forward, is this just a hiccup/fluke? Prior to this, the only time the pencil was disconnected was for 2 days while away at work (it was out of sight/out of mind on my desk). This was unusual due to consistent habits to keep my iPad and Pencil connected/together (prevent misplacing things, am I right?). This issue began a week later after the Apple Pencil was being continually charged…or so I thought! Could be that I used my keyboard and not my Pencil for a time. I now think this may have been the time when it become unpaired leading to me not knowing it was off its charger (though magnetically connected). Seems I answered my question.
Lesson learned. Will always keep it charging to avoid accidental unpairing. The Apple Pencil lives another day and hopefully for a while. Again, big help! I almost didn’t ask and waited longer which would have lead it its demise. Super grateful for the clear instructions. Hope this helps someone else. Take care!
I tried the hard reset and my pencil was still not detected as of August 2024. Then I tried the unpair & pair method, it worked like a champ immediately! Thanks a lot for this brilliant alternative!
Oh my ! Thank you. I was about to buy a new pencil and came across about this hard reset. Im all good now. Working with Ipad Air 5 as of June 2024
Same here, I’ve had Apple send me a new Apple Pencil, then they sent me a “new” iPad since the new Apple Pencil wouldn’t work. I’m a year and a half past that event and now my Apple Pencil stopped working again. I’m not sure why this is not a resolved issue by now.
Just to hopefully help anyone else going down this rabbit hole like I did... I had the same problem – I left the pencil (2nd gen) uncharged for several months and when snapping it to my iPad, it would register the pencil, but say 0%.
I tried everything I could find in every thread on the issue – reseting the bluetooth connection, hard resetting the iPad, etc. Nothing worked.
I read that the small battery in the pencil completely dies beyond recovery when leaving it uncharged for too long. I was feeling mucho dismay and planning a burial of my once-neglected pencil.
And yet WAIT, that presumed dead pencil is now working... I'm honestly not sure what did the trick, but the only thing I did between it once staying 0% and it suddenly resurrecting from the deathly graves is the following:
I also read someone who had luck warming the pencil by holding it in their hand for 10mins, and that was enough for their battery to wake back up and work again, so give that a try too.
Untrue. My pencil was stored in a drawer for over a year, and when I tried recharging it on my iPad Air it showed 0%. But the hard reset described by someone else on this thread fixed it and it’s now after just a few minutes at over 60%
Hard reset worked like a charm. Pencil immediately was recognized and was fully charged. I also realized the Magic Keyboard has been very sensitive and touchy lately. That was also instantly fixed by the hard reset.
How to Fix Apple Pencil Not Charging on Working iPad
