You sometimes discover you can’t use your Apple pencil because it is dead. Then you begin to think about what to do, knowing how much you bought it.
It baffles you how your Apple pencil dies, and you wonder why it happened. I used it recently, or I recently bought it, so why did my pencil die?
You then wonder if there’s something you can do about it or if that’s the end of the road for your Apple pencil.
When your Apple pencil dies, you will have to replace the pencil with a new one. That’s after you discover you can’t wake it, and it’s dead. For your Apple pencil to die fully, it has battery issues, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You then take it to Apple support for a replacement or a fix.
In this article, I will explain why your Apple pencil dies, what happens after, and how you can fix it.
By the end of the article, you’ll know how to avoid your Apple pencil dying and what you can do if it happens.
Why Would an Apple Pencil Die?
Your Apple pencil dies because it has a failed battery and can’t hold a charge anymore.
That happens because you leave it in an uncharged state for a long time after the battery drain.
If you don’t constantly use your Apple Pencil, it is imperative to keep it charged every time and never allow the battery to drain finish.
If your Apple pencil drains entirely without you charging it, you leave it in this uncharged state for weeks; you damage the battery.
That results in your Apple pencil dying. Your Apple pencil contains a small Li-ion battery in it.
Due to its size, this battery can’t hold much charge and does not last long.
So, when you drain this Li-ion battery, it causes the battery to go into a deep discharge state and can cause irreversible battery damage.
When this happens to your battery, the next time you try to use your Apple pencil and charge it, it won’t charge.
Even if you try to revive it after it goes into this state, there’s no hope for your Apple pencil battery, and it becomes dead.
Another reason your Apple pencil dies can be when you buy an Apple pencil and leave it for a while before you use it.
It’s a bad idea if you think because you have the funds now and quickly get your Apple pencil to store until you’re ready to use.
That’s because you leave it unused and damage your battery. When in a store, the battery drains until it enters a discharged state.
Your Apple pencil drains about 5% – 10% daily when not actively used.
So, when you leave it in a store fully charged, it eventually drains, and the battery dies without you using it.
Sometimes, your Apple pencil dies due to no fault of yours. It can be because you bought an Apple pencil that’s old stock and has been in storage for a long time.
The battery died in storage, and you can’t use it. The good thing about this is that if your Apple pencil is under warranty, you can take it to them if they can replace it.
Is It Bad to Let Apple Pencils Die?
Yes, it is not good to let your Apple pencil die. Your Apple pencil will die if you leave it uncharged for a long time, damaging your battery.
If you leave your Apple pencil to die, your pencil might not be partially dead, and you can sometimes get it to charge.
But you’re leaving it open to the chance of damaging your battery.
If you let your Apple pencil die, the battery gets weak, and you reduce the lifespan or how it discharges the battery.
You then discover that it doesn’t last for 12 hours anymore but less, and that’s just the lesser damage it can cause.
One significant damage to your Apple pencil when you leave it to die is the pencil’s inability to charge.
The irony is that you leave your Apple pencil uncharged till it dies or damages, and you want to charge it but now can’t.
That only happens when you let your Apple battery die and still wait to charge it for a long time, say a month. You probably left it to travel or left it lying around somewhere.
When you now decide to charge your pencil, it isn’t possible because the battery has gone into a deep discharge state.
Another reason it isn’t good to let your Apple pencil die is the time you’ll waste after your inability to charge it.
You want to work on an important project but can only use your Apple pencil if it’s still working.
You lose time you could spend working on your project due to your dead Apple pencil.
A consequence of leaving your Apple pencil to die is the money you’ll spend replacing the pencil.
As there’s no way, you can repair your battery if it is damaged, replacing it is your only option.
It is expensive to buy a new one except if you’re under warranty, but it is a vast sum if you’re not.
How Do You Fix a Dead Apple Pencil?
There are a few ways to fix your dead Apple pencil, and it includes;
- Charging your Apple pencil.
- Reset your iPad.
- Warming up your Apple pencil
- Replace the pencil.
#1. Charging Your Apple Pencil
When you notice your Apple pencil is dead, you can try to fix it by charging it.
Your Apple pencil might have yet to reach the irredeemable stage, and charging might revive it.
Charging your Apple pencil varies for different generations of the Apple pencil.
The table below shows how you can charge your Apple pencil based on the pencil generation.
| Apple Pencil 1 | Apple Pencil 2 |
|---|---|
| Connect the Apple pencil lightning connector to your iPad to charge it. | Place the flat side of your pencil beside your iPad’s magnetic side to charge it. |
| Connect the lightning cable to the adapter in the case and then to a computer or wall. |
Now you can charge whatever Apple pencil type you have and then connect it to your iPad. Your Apple pencil is back if it charges and connects to your device.
It shouldn’t take time for your Apple pencil to charge, in less than 30 minutes, and it will show in the notification center.
#2. Reset Your iPad
Sometimes, resetting your iPad helps revive a dead Apple pencil. If your Apple Pencil charges and it doesn’t work, it’s probably time for a reset.
Resetting helps set everything on both the phone and the pencil. You can also do a hard reset of your iPad if the problem persists.
To reset your iPad, long-press both the sleep/wake and home button on your iPad at the same time.
Hold the buttons till your iPad screen goes off and the Apple logo appears.
If our Apple pencil still doesn’t work after rebooting your device, check if everything is in order, like the Bluetooth connection. If not, unpair and repair your pencil to get it working again.
#3. Warming Up Your Apple Pencil
To fix your dead Apple pencil, you can warm up the battery. Use a hair dryer or home heating register to wake your Apple pencil.
Set your hair dryer to the highest and place your Apple pencil close to it for about 5-15 minutes.
Ensure the dryer is just a distance from your pencil so it wouldn’t damage it.
You can also use your home heating register to heat your dead Apple pencil. Place it near it for about 10-15 minutes.
Doing this will fix your Apple pencil, and you can now use it, but if it doesn’t work, then your pencil is beyond repair.
#4. Replace Your Apple Pencil
If your Apple pencil is still dead after all the steps mentioned above, you have a damaged battery and can’t repair it.
The best thing you can do is to replace it or take your Apple pencil back to the Apple store if it is under warranty. They’ll advise you on what to do.
How Long Does an Apple Pencil Last?
How long your Apple pencil lasts depends on how often you use it.
If you are the type that uses your Apple pencil for several hours daily, you can use it for two years or more.
That depends on how you maintain your pencil. Although, you might need to replace the pencil nib. Maintenance is essential to the lifespan of your Apple pencil.
If you are the type that uses your Apple pencil till you drain the battery to 0% before charging, you reduce its battery strength. You reduce the battery’s lifespan and, by extension, the pencil.
In that case, your Apple pencil might last only a year or less due to inadequate maintenance.
If you now refuse to leave it for weeks drained and uncharged, then it might immediately spoil.
If you rarely use your Apple pencil and you do adequate maintenance for your pencil, it will last for several years.
In essence, how long your Apple pencil lasts depends on you; how you use and maintain it.
Does Apple Replace Dead Pencils?
Yes, Apple will replace your dead Apple pencil if they’re less than a year old and still under warranty.
You can choose to extend the one-year warranty to 2 years by upgrading to Applecare+ with a fee.
If you take your dead Apple pencil within these two years, Apple will replace it.
Conclusion
In summary, constantly draining your Apple pencil to 0% and leaving it uncharged for long isn’t suitable for your battery and damages it.
It kills your Apple pencil, and sometimes the damage is irreparable. So, it is better to charge your Apple pencil than to revive it after it dies.
Maintenance is critical when using an Apple pencil.