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iPad iPad 10 and Pencil

G

guyguy17

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 31, 2017
91
10
I have a teacher who has an iPad 10th (MPQ03LL/A) running 16.3. She wants to pair an Apple Pencil 1st gen with this iPad. The iPad is a USB-C port and after I connect the Pencil using the USB-C to lightning cable plus adapter, I don't get any messages on the screen.

I have an iPad Pro 9.7 model and connect the Pencil directly to it and I get a BT message asking to pair it.

Is the iPad 10 model not compatible with this Pencil?
 
It should work with the setup you described. There shouldn’t be any extra steps compared to with your iPad Pro. Maybe the Pencil’s battery is dead or Bluetooth on the iPad is disabled?
 
The teacher had further told me that this pencil was paired to this iPad once before. She clicked on "forgot" and now it can't be paired again.

The iPad was restarted and BT was turned off then on. The pencil was charged.
 
I reread your text and realized that you mention a USB-C to Lightning cable plus what I assume is a Female to Female Lightning connector that came with the first gen Pencil. I don't think that will work, unfortunately. That adapter was just for charging the pencil with a USB charger with a Lightning cable. To pair the Pencil with the 10th Gen iPad, a USB-C to Pencil adapter is needed. That is connected to the iPad with the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with it (or any other such cable). Newly purchased 1st Gen Pencils come with the appropriate adapter, but older ones only came with the Lightning to Lightning adapter. The one that is needed can be purchased separately here: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQLU3AM/A/usb-c-to-apple-pencil-adapter

If the teacher had previously paired the Pencil, then chances are that they have the right adapter already.
 
headlessmike said:
I reread your text and realized that you mention a USB-C to Lightning cable plus what I assume is a Female to Female Lightning connector that came with the first gen Pencil. I don't think that will work, unfortunately. That adapter was just for charging the pencil with a USB charger with a Lightning cable. To pair the Pencil with the 10th Gen iPad, a USB-C to Pencil adapter is needed. That is connected to the iPad with the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with it (or any other such cable). Newly purchased 1st Gen Pencils come with the appropriate adapter, but older ones only came with the Lightning to Lightning adapter. The one that is needed can be purchased separately here: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQLU3AM/A/usb-c-to-apple-pencil-adapter

If the teacher had previously paired the Pencil, then chances are that they have the right adapter already.
Click to expand...
I really wonder if the old adapter wouldn't work with a USB to lightining cable. I even managed to make it work with a UBS C iPad (granted I had to download an app to remove Apple restriction that prevents first gen pencils to work with USB C iPads, but I think testing the old adapter is worth a try)
 
guyguy17 said:
I have a teacher who has an iPad 10th (MPQ03LL/A) running 16.3. She wants to pair an Apple Pencil 1st gen with this iPad. The iPad is a USB-C port and after I connect the Pencil using the USB-C to lightning cable plus adapter, I don't get any messages on the screen.

I have an iPad Pro 9.7 model and connect the Pencil directly to it and I get a BT message asking to pair it.

Is the iPad 10 model not compatible with this Pencil?
Click to expand...
As mentioned above, I don't think it works that way.

You have to be using a usb-c cable, plus the usb-c to lightning adaptor, and the 1st gen apple pencil.
 
I am using the adapter that came with it. It is a small piece which is Lightning ports on either end.

iPad----USB-C to lightning cable----adapter----Pencil
 
guyguy17 said:
I am using the adapter that came with it. It is a small piece which is Lightning ports on either end.

iPad----USB-C to lightning cable----adapter----Pencil
Click to expand...
But that's not the one that Apple says will work. You need iPad----USB-C to USB-C cable----adapter----Pencil. That comes with Pencils sold after the 10th Gen iPad was released (they come with both adapters). Older Pencils didn't, so you'd need to purchase the correct adapter separately. It's the one with Lighting on one end and USB-C on the other.
 
headlessmike said:
But that's not the one that Apple says will work. You need iPad----USB-C to USB-C cable----adapter----Pencil. That comes with Pencils sold after the 10th Gen iPad was released (they come with both adapters). Older Pencils didn't, so you'd need to purchase the correct adapter separately. It's the one with Lighting on one end and USB-C on the other.
Click to expand...
Apple may say it simply because they assume you may not have a lightning to USB C cable in the first place
 
Digitalguy said:
Apple may say it simply because they assume you may not have a lightning to USB C cable in the first place
Click to expand...
Perhaps. But also seeing that it’s not working suggests that Lightning to Lightning adapter isn’t an option. I wonder if that adapter even has any data pin connections in it.
 
I figured it out. I had to take a USB-C cable and connect it to the iPad then use the adapter then connect it to the pencil.

iPad---USB-C cable---Usb-c adapter (long one)---Pencil
 
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headlessmike said:
Perhaps. But also seeing that it’s not working suggests that Lightning to Lightning adapter isn’t an option. I wonder if that adapter even has any data pin connections in it.
Click to expand...
As I said above, I used that adapter to connect a first gen pencil to a third gen iPad pro with USB C, so I guess it does have some pins...
 
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