{"id":1778,"date":"2025-11-28T07:47:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T07:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/how-to-use-apple-pencil\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T07:47:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T07:47:29","slug":"how-to-use-apple-pencil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/how-to-use-apple-pencil\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Apple Pencil"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, let me tell you about the time I nearly returned my Apple Pencil because I thought it was broken. Spoiler: It wasn\u2019t. I just didn\u2019t know how to use the dang thing. (Classic me.)<\/p>\n

So there I was, fresh off an \u201cI deserve this\u201d impulse buy at the Apple Store, holding this sleek pencil like it was Excalibur. I slapped it onto my iPad Pro\u2019s magnetic strip \u2014 click<\/em> \u2014 and\u2026 nothing happened. Cue panic. \u201cDid I get a fake one?!\u201d Nope. Turns out, it needed a charge first. (Pro tip: That magnetic strip isn\u2019t just for storage \u2014 it\u2019s wireless charging, like a fancy Tesla for your stylus.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I wish I\u2019d known day one:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Pairing is stupid easy (if you don\u2019t overthink it):<\/strong>
    \nJust snap it to the iPad\u2019s side. No Bluetooth menus, no passcodes. If it doesn\u2019t connect, check your iPad\u2019s model \u2014 Gen 1 pencils charge with a Lightning port (awkward butt-plug style), Gen 2 magnets only. I spent 20 minutes Googling \u201cwhy won\u2019t my Apple Pencil turn on\u201d before realizing I\u2019d bought the wrong generation for my hand-me-down iPad.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Pressure sensitivity isn\u2019t just for artists:<\/strong>
    \nEven if you\u2019re like me \u2014 someone whose artistic peak was middle school doodles \u2014 pressing harder actually matters. Writing in Notes? A firm press gives thicker lines, light touches keep it neat. I figured this out while journaling at Starbucks, accidentally creating a love letter that looked like it was written by a shaky Chihuahua.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Palm rejection is your BFF (but you gotta enable it):<\/strong>
    \nMy first attempt at digital note-taking looked like a toddler attacked the screen. Why? I hadn\u2019t turned on palm rejection in Settings > Apple Pencil. Now I rest my hand like I\u2019m using paper, and the iPad ignores my clammy palms. Game-changer for work meetings where I pretend to take notes but actually sketch my coworker as a potato.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The \u201cOhhhh!\u201d moment no one talks about:<\/strong>
    \nSwiping from the corner with the pencil tip changes tools in apps like Procreate. I discovered this mid-doodle when I accidentally turned my cat portrait neon pink. Now I use it to quick-switch between pen colors faster than my toddler can say \u201cElmo.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Random quirks I\u2019ve embraced:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Replace the tip when it gets slippery<\/strong> (yes, it unscrews!). I didn\u2019t realize this until mine looked as bald as my dad\u2019s Honda Accord tires.<\/li>\n
    • Double-tap the barrel<\/strong> (Gen 2 only) to switch tools. I set mine to undo \u2014 lifesaver when my kid \u201chelps\u201d me with drawings.<\/li>\n
    • Use a grippy sleeve<\/strong> if it feels like holding a #2 pencil on a Chicago winter day. Got mine from Amazon for $8 and suddenly my handwriting didn\u2019t look like EKG results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Biggest rookie mistake?<\/strong> Trying to use it on a cheap screen protector. The pencil slid like a Zamboni on ice. Switched to a \u201cpaper-like\u201d protector, and now it\u2019s got just enough grit \u2014 like writing on a Trader Joe\u2019s paper bag.<\/p>\n

      Final thought: The Apple Pencil grows on you. First week, I felt like a poser waving this $100 stick around. Now? I\u2019ll defend it like my Nespresso machine. Whether you\u2019re marking up PDFs, journaling, or just signing digital permission slips for soccer practice \u2014 it\u2019s the closest thing to magic I\u2019ve found in tech.<\/p>\n

      Go poke your iPad. If it doesn\u2019t work, check the charge. And if all else fails \u2014 blame the toddler. (Kidding. Mostly.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Okay, let me tell you about the time I nearly returned my Apple Pencil because I thought it was broken. Spoiler: It wasn\u2019t. I just didn\u2019t know how to use the dang thing. (Classic me.) So there I was, fresh off an \u201cI deserve this\u201d impulse buy at the Apple Store, holding this sleek pencil…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}