Can Apple Pencil Be Turned Off? (Solved!)

Apple Pencils are a popular accessory for Apple tablets or touchscreen laptops that give users the freedom of a writing utensil paired with the ease of electronic devices. Of course, since Apple Pencils need to be charged in order to work, most owners want to know if and how they can turn them off to save battery when they aren’t using it.

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Apple Pencils do not have an on/off option, and, therefore, cannot be turned off when not in use. This means that the Apple Pencil’s battery will continually drain once it has been charged and connected to a device. However, there are ways to mitigate this battery drain and extend battery life. 

This article’ll discuss the Apple Pencil’s power capabilities and how this affects its charge and overall battery functions. Read on to learn the best tips and tricks of what to do with your Apple Pencil when not in use to extend its battery life or keep it fully charged.

Does Generation Affect an Apple Pencil’s On/Off Features?

Buyers interested in owning an Apple Pencil of their own probably know that there are actually two options they can currently choose from, the first-generation Apple Pencil, and the new and improved second-generation Apple Pencil. But, is there a difference in power options between the two?

Neither the first-generation nor second-generation Apple Pencils have on/off switches. Once these devices are charged for the first time, they will remain on until the battery is completely depleted and needs to be recharged.

The fact that Apple Pencil’s lack of an on/off feature is a significant design flaw for these accessories and a major source of frustration for their owners. Because of this, the device’s battery longevity increasingly decreases due to the toll of constantly keeping it powered.

Most owners won’t notice this with their new Apple Pencils. Still, over time, it will become apparent that your trusty touch-screen accessory can’t last as long on a full charge as it used to, and you can attribute this to its inability to turn off without completely losing its charge.

How to Prolong an Apple Pencil’s Battery Life When Not In Use

Without a way to give their Apple Pencil’s batteries a break (apart from letting the pencil die and wait to charge it until it’s needed) owners of these devices need to find ways to either keep their Apple Pencil fully charged at all times or prolong its charge when they’re away from a charging source.

 The best ways to prolong an Apple Pencil’s battery life include:

• Keeping it fully charged and stationed on the dock when not in use
• Disconnecting the Apple Pencil from its connected device via Bluetooth
• Disconnecting the Apple Pencil from its connected device via “Forget Device”

Keeping your Apple Pencil on its charging dock is the most beneficial of these options. We recommend doing this whenever possible, as keeping it docked means the battery won’t slowly drain over time, regardless of how much you’re using it.

If possible, try to have an Apple Pencil charging dock at all locations you’re likely to use this accessory.  This might include your home, office space, studio, etc. Another easy alternative would be to purchase a portable charger or adapter for your Apple Pencil so you can keep it charged when you’re away from any charging docks.

Unfortunately, there are times when we want to have out Apple Pencils on-hand where a consistent charging source isn’t available. In these instances, the best way to prolong an Apple Pencil’s life is to disconnect it from all other devices.

Disconnecting an Apple Pencil Via Bluetooth

Apple Pencils are wireless electronic accessories that are connected to other devices via Bluetooth. Therefore, in addition to have enough charge to stay on, these pencils need enough power for their battery to maintain the Bluetooth connection.

While disconnecting your Apple Pencil from its associated device won’t stop the battery completely from using power (since you can’t turn it off altogether), it will spare the device that extra amount of power it uses to maintain the Bluetooth connection, which can go a long way if you know you won’t have the opportunity to charge it any time soon.

The easiest way to disconnect an Apple Pencil from its connected device via Bluetooth is to go into your device’s Bluetooth settings and switch the Apple Pencil off (if that is an option) or toggle Bluetooth capabilities off entirely.

Disconnecting an Apple Pencil Via “Forget Device”

Sometimes, disconnecting an Apple Pencil from a device via Bluetooth isn’t an option, particularly if you’re using a device that won’t all you to disconnect one device, but rather, forces you to shut off all Bluetooth capabilities. If you have a number of other devices connected via Bluetooth that you need, this won’t be an option.

In these cases, we recommend disconnecting your Apple Pencil from its connected device by forcing your device to “forget” the accessory.

When you pair two electronic devices via Bluetooth, the host device will usually remember any connected device as long as it is one and in the vicinity. Since Apple Pencils can’t be turned off, this means it will remain on and connected to any host device you might be using regardless if you’re using the Apple Pencil.

To force your host device to forget a device, go to its general settings and then the Bluetooth settings like you would to turn the Bluetooth off. However, instead of switching anything off, click on the Apple Pencil and then choose the “Remove Device” or “Forget Device” option. If the all Bluetooth functions are turned off on the host device, you’ll need to switch it back on to complete this.

Afterward, you’ll have an unpaired Apple Pencil that is only losing the minimal power it requires to stay on, which is significantly less than what it spends maintaining a Bluetooth connection or while in use. 

Final Thoughts

Apple Pencils are fantastic electronic accessories, but their inability to turn off is undoubtedly one of its biggest drawbacks.

Thankfully, there are ways to be able to keep your Apple Pencil on-hand and accessible without draining unnecessary amounts of power by disconnecting it from other devices. Although it can take up to several hours, Apple Pencils will also shut off on their own (without dying completely) when not in use, so you can opt to just wait it out and hope it shuts off sooner rather than later.

Sources:

• https://www.apple.com/apple-pencil/
• https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252101155