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How to charge your Apple Pencil
The Apple Pencil is like any other piece of technology. It runs on a battery, and eventually, the battery charge is going to run out. So you need to know how to charge your Apple Pencil. The good news is that charging the Apple Pencil can be as quick as 20 minutes. But the charging method differs depending on which generation of Pencil you have. Let’s take a look at both Pencils and how to juice them up.
Read more: Is your Apple Pencil not charging? Here’s how to fix it
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If you need to charge the first-generation Pencil, simply pull off the top of the Pencil to reveal a Lightning socket. You can now plug it into the iPad charging socket. If you have the second-generation Pencil, attach it magnetically to the side of your iPad. It will then charge wirelessly from your iPad charge.
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How to charge the Apple Pencil (first-generation)
If you have the first-generation Apple Pencil, then you need to pull off the top of the pen. This will reveal a charging plug. You can then plug this directly into the iPad charging socket.
Another option is to use the adaptor provided in the Pencil box. Insert the Pencil plug into the adaptor and then connect a Lightning cable to the other end of the adaptor. The other end of the Lightning cable will then go into your iPad. This method is useful if you are using your iPad, and having a Pencil sticking out of the charging socket would be a bit of an inconvenience.
How to charge the Apple Pencil (second-generation)
If you have the second-generation Apple Pencil, then things just got a lot easier on the charging front. There’s no charging plug and no cable. So how do you charge the Pencil? Wirelessly, of course.
As shown in the image above, all you need to do is magnetically attach the Pencil to the side of your iPad. Either at the top or the bottom. Some iPad protective covers even have a space for the Pencil, allowing it to charge with the side of your iPad at all times. You will also see a small icon on the screen showing the charging progress.
Although the magnetic grip between Pencil and iPad is strong, always remember that it’s not that strong. If you throw around the iPad, the Pencil will fall off, and you could subsequently lose it or damage it.
FAQs
The easiest method is to install the battery widget on your iPad screen. You’ll then be able to see at a glance how much your Pencil has charged. If you have the second-generation Pencil, it also shows you a tiny icon at the bottom of the screen with the Pencil battery percentage.
That’s difficult to say precisely as it all depends on your usage. But the average is about 12 hours of continual use. The Pencil charge will eventually deplete, though, if you don’t use it.
Usually, a 100% charge will take between 20 to 30 minutes. It’s very fast.
Not the second-generation Pencil, as there is no charging slot and therefore relies on wireless charging. The first-generation Pencil, however, can be charged with an iPhone USB charging cable.
No, this is not possible. You must have an iPad. There is no other charging option.
No, the first-generation Pencil does not support wireless charging. It needs to be physically plugged into an iPad.
The Apple Pencil can’t be switched off. It’s always powered on. That’s why the charge will eventually deplete to zero if you don’t charge it regularly.
No, once the Pencil is charged, the charging process stops. Therefore, the Pencil will not be damaged, being attached to the iPad afterward.