But if you’re new to the Apple Pencil, you might be wondering how to charge it. Especially if you’ve lost your adapter. Fear not! There are still ways to charge your Apple Pencil without the adapter; this guide will show you how.
Charge Your Apple Pencil Using the Lightning Connector
The built-in Lightning connector found on the first generation Apple Pencil is by far the easiest way of charging the accessory. This can only be found on the first-generation Apple Pencil because Apple has since replaced it with a magnetic charger in the second-generation Apple Pencil.
To charge the Pencil using this method, you just need to remove the cap from the bottom of your Apple Pencil to reveal the Lightning connector. This is exactly the same connector found on a normal Lightning cable.
Plug this connector into the Lightning port on your iPad, found at the bottom of the device. The Apple Pencil will immediately start charging, just like whenever you plug in any other device to charge.
Bear in mind, charging the Apple Pencil like this will draw power from your iPad. While the Apple Pencil doesn’t require a lot of charge to operate, it will draw the power it needs from your iPad battery. So it’s probably best not to do this if your iPad is low on power.
Admittedly, it might look a little odd walking around with the Pencil plugged into the bottom of your iPad, but it’s an effective way to charge the Apple Pencil without the adapter.
Charge Your Apple Pencil Using a Replacement Adapter
Of course, you’ve always got the option to buy a replacement adapter for the Apple Pencil. Then you’ll be able to charge the Apple Pencil through the new adapter like you did with the original one.
For those of you with AppleCare, get in touch with the support team to request a replacement. Since the adapter was lost, you’ll need to pay a small charge for the replacement part. According to one Apple Community post, this is about $4.45.
It’s important to note that these are not Apple certified, so they aren’t officially recommended by Apple. It’s always best to use official cables and adapters if you can afford them.
Charge Your Apple Pencil Using the Magnetic Connector
If you’ve got a third-generation iPad Pro or newer, you might be wondering why you can feel a slight magnetic pull on the side of the device when you use other accessories or place it near something else. Well, this is the magnetic connector for the Apple Pencil.
This magnetic connector isn’t just handy for holding the Pencil, it can actually charge the Apple Pencil, too.
It’s fairly simple to charge the Apple Pencil this way. Once you’ve made sure to pair the Apple Pencil with the iPad, you can just place the Apple Pencil on the magnetic connector.
The Apple Pencil will securely snap to the iPad and begin to charge.
Again, charging the Apple Pencil in this way draws power from your iPad. So it’s probably best not to do this if your iPad is low on battery.
Note: You can only use the magnetic connector to charge the second-generation Apple Pencil, so if you’ve got the older version, you’ll need to use one of the other methods above.
Why Does the Apple Pencil Need Charging?
It is a bit odd that you have to charge a stylus. After all, what could it possibly need power for?
The need for power in the Apple Pencil comes from the features of the accessory. The Apple Pencil connects to an iPad over a Bluetooth connection. In order to maintain this connection, the Apple Pencil needs a source of power.
Another reason it needs charging is to operate the various sensors inside the pencil. As you may or may not know, the Apple Pencil has different sensors to detect the amount of pressure placed on the nib and to determine what angle the stylus is tilted at. These sensors need power to function.
One relief from this is that the Apple Pencil doesn’t need that much power. That means that you don’t need to charge it very often.
Using Your Apple Pencil
Now that you’re able to charge the Apple Pencil again, you can get back to using it. The Apple Pencil makes it much easier to perform lots of tasks on your iPad, and if you’ve shelled out the $99 on it, you definitely want to keep using it.
It’s definitely a relief to charge your Apple Pencil without needing to worry about getting a new adapter through AppleCare. As long as you don’t mind looking a bit odd with a pencil sticking out the bottom of your iPad.
