Apple Pencil offers exceptional battery life. You can continue typing for 12 hours without having to worry about charging. But if this is no longer the case (which happens when an Apple Pencil gets old), it’s best to keep an eye on your Apple Pencil’s battery level. This also applies to the 1st generation Apple Pencil, which requires a rather laborious charging procedure.
So how can you check the battery level in Apple Pencil? There are three ways to do this. The first method involves using the Battery widget built into iPadOS and applies to both first and second generation Apple Pencils. If you’re using the Apple Pencil 2, you can also use a few other methods to easily check the charge level. Let’s check them out.
1. Use the Battery Widget
The battery widget relays real-time charge levels for a range of devices, such as AirPods and Apple Pencil. Start by entering the Today View – swipe right from the first Home screen page to bring it up. If the battery widget is enabled, you should immediately see the charge level of your Apple Pencil.
If you can’t see it, here’s how to enable it. The procedure is slightly different in iPadOS 14 and later.
iPadOS 14 and Later
Stage 1: Open the Today View. Then long press an empty area on the Home screen to start shaking. Follow by tapping the plus-shaped icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Scroll down the widget gallery and then tap Battery.
Stage 3: Choose a widget size (small, medium or large). Small and medium widget sizes use less space in the Today View, but the larger Battery widget clearly conveys device names. After making a decision, tap Add Widget.
And that’s it. You should see the Battery widget in the Today View along with the current charge level of your Apple Pencil. You can also drag the widget anywhere within the Today View. I recommend dragging it to the top of the list so you can see it clearly whenever you want.
Also, don’t forget to stack the Battery widget with other widgets of similar size. This helps reduce the amount of screen real estate playing in Today View.
iPadOS 13 and Earlier
Stage 1: Go to Today View. Then, swipe all the way to the bottom of the screen and tap the Edit icon.
Step 2: Find the Battery list under Other widgets, then tap the plus icon next to Battery.
Stage 3: Tap Done.
Then you should see the Battery widget in the Today View. You can also drag the widget to the top of the screen if you want.
2. Place on iPad (Apple Pencil 2 only)
If you’re using a second-generation Apple Pencil, checking its current charge level is as simple as plugging it into the magnetic connector on the right side of your iPad Pro (3rd and 4th generation) or iPad Air (4th generation).
Look at the top of the screen as soon as you plug it in – for a few seconds you should see the current charge level of the Apple Pencil flash. If you missed it, simply remove the pen and insert it again.
This also charges the Apple Pencil. And as you can see, my Apple Pencil 2 is almost always fully charged since I plug it into my iPad when I’m not using it.
You may not see this indicator if the Apple Pencil is out of charge. In this case, leave it plugged in for about a minute. Then remove and reinstall. If you can’t get the Apple Pencil to connect to your iPad Pro or iPad Air, review this troubleshooting guide.
3. Go to Settings App (Apple Pencil 2 only)
Another super easy way to check the charge level on the Apple Pencil 2 is to enter the Settings app. Once there, select Apple Pencil from the right side of the screen and you should see the current charge level towards the top of the screen.
This screen also lets you manage the Double Tap functionality on your Apple Pencil 2. You can also enable and disable the new Scribble functionality introduced in iPadOS 14 directly from this screen.
Don’t Miss a Note
If you’re using an Apple Pencil 2, you rarely need to look at the current charge level. It stays magnetically attached to your iPad and also automatically charges when not in active use. Note, however, that you can continue to write for thirty minutes or more by briefly charging your first- or second-generation Apple Pencil for just 15 seconds.
Next: Does your iPad need to be charged frequently? Here’s how to check battery health.
