As an Apple Pencil user, I know how frustrating it can be when you can’t use your device due to an empty battery. That’s why I’m here to share my experience and the solutions I’ve discovered for the question – does the Apple Pencil need to be charged? Whether you’re using the first-generation or the upgraded Gen 2 model, I want to help you make sure your pencil is always ready for use. In this blog post, I’ll explain how to charge your Apple Pencil, how long it takes to charge and other helpful tips.
The Apple Pencil 1 and the Apple Pencil 2 both need to be charged in order to work.
Both the Apple Pencil 1 and 2 connect to the iPad via Bluetooth so they must be charged in order to work. However, this is not such an issue in practice because of how easily and quickly they can be charged.
| Key Takeaways for Charging the Apple Pencil |
|---|
| – Both the Apple Pencil 1 and 2 need to be charged in order to work. |
| – It takes 15 minutes to fully charge the Apple Pencil 1 or 2, and 15 seconds to get 30 minutes of use. |
| – It is important to avoid allowing the Apple Pencil to stay at 0% for an extended period of time as it can cause it to break. |
| – You can expect to have to charge the Apple Pencil about 1 time per week if you use it for 30 minutes per day. |
Table of Contents
Does Apple Pencil need to be charged? (Gen 1 and Gen 2)
Both Apple Pencil 1 and Apple Pencil 2 need to be charged in order to work because they connect to the iPad via Bluetooth.
Read more: does the Apple Pencil come with the iPad?
The Apple Pencil 1 is charged by connecting the Apple Pencil to the lightning port on the iPad. By charging it this way, the pencil will charge to full in just 15 minutes and this will give you 12 hours of use. You can also charge it for 15 seconds to get 30 minutes of use time.
However, you can also charge the Apple Pencil 1 by using an adapter that you can connect to the lightning cable. By charging the pencil this way, you can expect it to take longer to charge. In this case, it will take about 70 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%.
To fully charge the Apple Pencil 2, it only takes 15 minutes. Since you can easily leave the Apple Pencil 2 attached to the iPad all the time, it will not be often that your Apple Pencil 2 will run out of battery. However, if your pencil does run out of power, it will not be an issue since it only takes 15 seconds to charge it enough to get 30 minutes of use.
Read more: When should you change the Apple Pencil tip?
Some people worry about having their Apple Pencil 2 attached to the iPad all the time because they don’t want the battery degrading due to being fully charged all the time. However, the Apple Pencil 2 is designed to be connected to the iPad most of the time.
Also, because the Apple Pencil 2 can last for 12 hours from full charge, it is not such an issue if the battery does degrade slightly since the battery will still be able to last for a long time.
Also, it is actually much better to keep the battery at 100% than it is to allow it to get to 0%. This is because many users have reported their Apple Pencil batteries dying when left at 0% for longer than a week.
If you do get an Apple Pencil, it will be important that you do not allow it to stay uncharged for too long. As mentioned, this should be easy since you can just leave it attached to the iPad.
Can you use the Apple Pencil without charging it?
You cannot use the Apple Pencil without charging it. However, this is not such an issue because it only takes 15 minutes of charging time to get 30 minutes of use out of the pencil. Also, the Apple Pencil 2 can be left attached to the iPad, so it will rarely run out of charge.
Additionally, it is actually important to avoid allowing your Apple Pencil not to have any charge because users have reported their Apple Pencils breaking after being at 0% charge for longer than a week or so.
How long does it take to charge an Apple Pencil?
To fully charge an Apple Pencil 1 or 2, it will take 15 minutes. You can also charge them for 15 seconds to get 30 minutes of use out of them.
How often does the Apple Pencil need to be charged?
How often you will need to charge the Apple Pencil will depend a lot on how often you use it. If you use the pencil for 30 minutes per day, you should expect to have to charge it about 1 time per week, if you do not keep it attached to the iPad.
Pros
- Apple Pencil 1 and 2 both need to be charged in order to work.
- It takes 15 minutes to fully charge the Apple Pencil 1 or 2, and 15 seconds to get 30 minutes of use.
- You can expect to have to charge the Apple Pencil about 1 time per week if you use it for 30 minutes per day.
- The Apple Pencil 2 can be left attached to the iPad for easy charging.
Cons
- It is important to avoid allowing the Apple Pencil to stay at 0% for an extended period of time as it can cause it to break.
- The Apple Pencil 1 must be charged by connecting it to the lightning port on the iPad. Charging it this way will take 15 minutes, but if you use an adapter to connect the lightning cable, it will take 70 minutes.
