My iPad Does Not Recognize Apple Pencil: How to Fix it

Technology can sometimes give us serious headaches, and something as simple as linking the Apple Pencil to the iPad can fail. In these situations, there are many solutions that we can find to link them and in this article we will try to group them.

Check the magnetic connector or the Lightning port

One of the first aspects that we should check whether we have the first or second generation Apple Pencil are the connectors. The first-generation Apple Pencil pairs with the iPad via the Lightning connector. Unfortunately these can cause some problems and may not link the accessory correctly. In these cases we must check that there is no lint on the connector that can prevent a good connection.

Sometimes when we put the iPad in a backpack or a case, lint can come off and end up in these holes. This is the most common problem when pairing a first-generation Apple Pencil or even recharging the device.

apple pencil

In the event that you have a second-generation Apple Pencil, things change. The charging connector now has no relation to the Apple Pencil, the magnetic connector found on the side becoming the protagonist. It is important that when linking it, the Apple Pencil is completely centered since if it is moved to one side, it may not be recognized by the iPad.

Check the Bluetooth connection

The connection of the iPad with the Apple Pencil (regardless of the generation) is done through Bluetooth. Sometimes we can find some problems in this type of connection and solving them can be really easy. The first thing we should do in these situations is to restart the iPad completely, and if none of this works we will go to Settings> Bluetooth and check that it is active.

If everything is fine so far, we should check in the settings window if the Apple Pencil appears in the ‘My devices’ section. On certain occasions we can see that in this section of the equipment the reflected Apple Pencil appears but it is not really linked because we cannot use it. To try to solve it, simply move to the right side where an ‘i’ appears next to the Apple Pencil. When pressing on this we can choose ‘Skip device’ so that the iPad forgets this accessory.

Apple Pencil 2

Once we have omitted the device, we can reconnect it through the magnetic connector or the Ligthning port. After a few minutes, the window that asks for authorization to link the two computers will surely appear . Keep in mind that it can take a while, especially if the Apple Pencil is fully downloaded. Normally the moment we connect it, the link is not made.

Check Apple Pencil on other computers

If your iPad is working correctly through Bluetooth and detects other accessories, you may have your Apple Pencil damaged. In order to get out of doubt what you should do is look for another iPad to be able to do a test and see if it links to this or not.

We can also do the opposite and borrow another Apple Pencil and try to link it to our iPad. In this way we will be able to know if there is a bug in the operating system or simply the accessory is not working correctly. If the latter situation occurs, what should be done without a doubt is to contact Apple technical support to assess the possibility of making a replacement if it is covered by the warranty.

Radical solutions

If none of this works, we can come up with the most drastic solutions. The last thing we have left is to reinstall the operating system of our iPad, since we could be suffering from a bug in the software.

This operation can end up solving the problems that we have but obviously it is the most laborious. In addition to running out of iPad for a while, some data may also be lost. That is why it is necessary to have a backup of all the files in iCloud to avoid problems in the future.