If you use your Apple Pencil a lot, you’re probably used to plugging it into your iPad, or laying it on the side of your iPad, on a regular basis to charge it. Even though it’s handy and efficient for the Apple Pencil to get a full charge right from your iPad, doesn’t that drain the battery from your iPad?
The Apple Pencil shouldn’t drain your iPad battery in order to get a full charge. There have been software bugs in the past that have led to drained iPad batteries because of Apple Pencils, but that is not how it normally works.
Especially if you’re an artist or avid notetaker, you’ll probably find yourself using your Apple Pencil a LOT. This makes it problematic if you’re constantly charging your Apple Pencil and having it suck the life out of your iPad in the process.
If you’re in the market for an Apple Pencil and worried about how it will impact your iPad battery, don’t be. In most cases, the impact should be minimal. While there have been software bugs that caused the Apple Pencil to be more power hungry than it should have been, Apple eventually addressed those.
If you’re in the unlucky Apple Pencil club and finding that it’s hogging all of your iPad’s power, there are some things you can do. Let’s dive in.
How Big is the Apple Pencil Battery?
The Apple Pencil is a small device, which means that its battery is too. It’s also a quick-charging battery that doesn’t need a ton of power to get it to 100%.
Of course, the Apple Pencil is small, so we would expect its battery to be small too. That said, it’s quite a bit smaller than you might think.
Check out this video from I Fix It. They deconstruct an Apple Pencil and show you everything that’s inside. While the whole video is mesmerizing, the part where they pull out the battery is especially intriguing. What a cute little battery!
The point is, Apple Pencil batteries are small and don’t need a lot of power to reach 100%. So, if your Apple Pencil is eating all of your power, there might be a problem.
Here are steps you can take if you have a power hungry Apple Pencil.
1. Talk with Apple Support About Possible Software Issues
In the past, there have been software issues that have caused the iPad battery to drain unnecessarily when the Apple Pencil is charging. It sucks…literally.
As with any of your Apple products, if you notice something unusual about them, it’s best to reach out to support and see if they can sort it out for you.
Dealing with support might not be your favorite thing to do. I totally get it. I haven’t always had the most fun dealing with Apple Support. I’ve gotten my issues fixed, but it’s taken a bit of back and forth and effort.
You might also leave with no answer at all…or an answer that requires you to wait for the next software update. If that’s the case, here are other tips you can try while you wait for a solution or update.
2. Don’t Charge Your Apple Pencil Overnight
If your Apple Pencil is power hungry, don’t leave it charging on your iPad overnight. All that will do is leave you with a drained iPad in the morning.
Apple Pencils charge really quickly, so it can be helpful to charge it in a shorter spurt of time. Try to remember to plug it in while you cook dinner, watch TV, or walk the dog. You’ll make sure that your Apple Pencil is charged without putting more strain on your iPad than you need to.
3. If You Have an iPad Pro, Don’t Lay Your Apple Pencil in the Charging Position
It’s easy to keep your Apple Pencil from charging with a regular iPad. You need to plug it into the port in order to initiate a charge. But, you have to be a bit more clever to prevent charging with the iPad Pro.
If you have an iPad Pro, you know that it charges whenever you lay it in the iPad Pro’s side Apple Pencil slot. This can make it tricky to keep it from not charging, since the whole point of that slot is to make it more efficient to charge your Apple Pencil.
If possible, lay your Apple Pencil in the slot so that the charging side of it doesn’t connect with the charger.
If this is too hard, try getting a detachable Apple Pencil holder that bypasses the iPad charging slot altogether.
4. If You Have an Apple Pencil 1, Charge it Through a Lightning Cable
If you have the 1st generation Apple Pencil, you can ditch the iPad as your charging source altogether in favor of a lighting cable or charging stand.
You can get a cheap Apple Pencil adapter that will let you hook it right up to a lightning cable. Just be careful not to lose it; they’re small little buggers.
You can also get an Apple Pencil charging stand which will greatly reduce your chances of losing your charger source, or your Apple Pencil in general.
This makes it a lot easier to charge your Apple Pencil like you would with any other Apple device, leaving your iPad out of it and less vulnerable to getting sucked of its power.
5. Turn Off Your Bluetooth When You Can
This option isn’t ideal for obvious reasons. You may need your bluetooth enabled for any number of reasons, including your Airpods. That said, some users have reported that the bluetooth has been the thing causing their iPads and Apple Pencils to have strange power drain issues.
Even if turning off your bluetooth isn’t a sustainable option, it could be a good experiment to see if you’ve found the source of your problems.
If bluetooth is indeed your problem, you’ll want to circle back around to the top of this list and talk with Apple Support.
It’s no fun when your Apple devices start acting up. Hopefully these tips have been helpful in stopping your power hungry Apple Pencil from stealing all of the life out of your iPad.
Diana has been an artist for over 27 years and has training in drawing, painting, digital drawing and graphic design. Diana’s latest obsession is digitally drawing with Procreate and Procreate Dreams. Diana has experience selling her art across a number of platforms and loves helping other artists learn how to make money from their art as well.