iPad Pro Some questions about Apple Pencil 2, Face ID and Sidecar on iPad Pro M1 2021

[hajime]

Hi, I just got an iPad Pro 12.9" M1 2021. I am quite happy with it. I came across three issues:

1. In Windows PC, when I faced the laptop, it automatically logged me in. However, in my iPad, it seems to always require me to double press the power button to allow logging in via Face ID. Is this normal? Can I use Face ID without the need to press the power button twice?

2. It has happened twice that after logging or waking up the iPad, I could not use Apple Pencil 2 on the touch screen even it was about 50% charged. I had to attach it to the iPad first before. Then, I could use it. How come? Is there anything wrong? As I recall, Apple Pencil 1 worked immediately on my IPad Pro 12.9" 2017 when put the tip of the Pencil on the screen.

3. How to enable Sidecar on the iPad Pro without a Mac? I connected it to a TV but everything got washed out. One thread mentioned that this could be resolved by enabling Sidecar but there was no mention on how to do it. Apple's document only mentioned connecting it from the Mac.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Welcome to awesome!

1. That’s not normal. Tap the screen once at you should be in straight away. I have never needed to double tap the side button.

2. I keep my pencil attached when I’m not using it, so I don’t know about that. It probably is to do with needing to re-pair it again if it’s left for a long period?

3. Not sure what you mean here with ‘washed out’. If you’re referring to colours I don’t know how where you start sidecar from would help? Can you give more info with what you mean?
You touch on a good point though. You can only start sidecar from the mac, not from the iPad. I use my mac headlessly with my iPad and I really wish there was a sidecar app in the traditional sense. I use jump desktop to access my Mac on the iPad and enable sidecar via that.
I’m using sidecar on the edge of what it’s usecase is supposed to be though; I use it to enable my Mac to be more of a module/extension/app for my iPad rather than just make my iPad an extra display for the Mac.

 

[hajime]

Welcome to awesome!

1. That’s not normal. Tap the screen once at you should be in straight away. I have never needed to double tap the side button.

2. I keep my pencil attached when I’m not using it, so I don’t know about that. It probably is to do with needing to re-pair it again if it’s left for a long period?

3. Not sure what you mean here with ‘washed out’. If you’re referring to colours I don’t know how where you start sidecar from would help? Can you give more info with what you mean?
You touch on a good point though. You can only start sidecar from the mac, not from the iPad. I use my mac headlessly with my iPad and I really wish there was a sidecar app in the traditional sense. I use jump desktop to access my Mac on the iPad and enable sidecar via that.
I’m using sidecar on the edge of what it’s usecase is supposed to be though; I use it to enable my Mac to be more of a module/extension/app for my iPad rather than just make my iPad an extra display for the Mac.

1. There may be several cases. In App store, I chose an App. Ipad asked me to press the power button twice. After doing that, the words 'Face ID' showed up on the screen and installation started. Is this normal?

2. Perhaps somebody could try leaving the pen away from the iPad and see if such issue can be reproduced?

3. By 'washed out', I mean it is like having mist all over the screen. For the solution, I was referring to this thread:

Potential "fix" for washed out colors on external monitor

I know a ton of people have experienced washed out colors on their external monitor when connecting via USB-C. I stumbled into a potential "fix" for this until Apple figures it out, assuming they ever do. Enable Sidecar and the colors are fixed. Why does this work? I have no idea, but it...

forums.macrumors.com

It seems that M1 chip has this problem:

Washed out external monitor on M1 Mac min… - Apple Community

discussions-jp-prz.apple.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/jw805s
Why we need a Mac to enable Sidecat on iPad? Another example of Apple intentionally made unavailable of some functions and expect us to buy iPhone, iPad, and Mac from them.

 

[rustyb99]

1. If you are just trying to unlock with Face ID, all you will need to do to unlock is tsp to wake the screen and the. Face ID should unlock the iPad. However, if you are purchasing apps, music, etc you will need to double tap the power button to confirm the purchase.
2. I believe if you leave the Apple Pencil disconnected from the iPad for extended periods of time, you will need to attach to the iPad to re-pair the pencil with the iPad.
3. Sidecar is only designed to work with a Mac, and can only be started from the mac. It was never advertised to work with anything else. I wish you could start the sidecar session iPad as well. are you trying to use an external display with the iPad or airplay where you are seeing the washout happen?

 

[cupcakes2000]

1. There may be several cases. In App store, I chose an App. Ipad asked me to press the power button twice. After doing that, the words 'Face ID' showed up on the screen and installation started. Is this normal?

2. Perhaps somebody could try leaving the pen away from the iPad and see if such issue can be reproduced?

3. By 'washed out', I mean it is like having mist all over the screen. For the solution, I was referring to this thread:

Potential "fix" for washed out colors on external monitor

I know a ton of people have experienced washed out colors on their external monitor when connecting via USB-C. I stumbled into a potential "fix" for this until Apple figures it out, assuming they ever do. Enable Sidecar and the colors are fixed. Why does this work? I have no idea, but it...

forums.macrumors.com

It seems that M1 chip has this problem:

Washed out external monitor on M1 Mac min… - Apple Community

discussions-jp-prz.apple.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/jw805s
Why we need a Mac to enable Sidecat on iPad? Another example of Apple intentionally made unavailable of some functions and expect us to buy iPhone, iPad, and Mac from them.

1, buying an app? Yes that’s normal. But that’s not the case you described in the op. It’s just to ensure you don’t accidentally buy an app. I doubt it could be considered any form of an issue.

2, perhaps you should try leaving the pen attached and see whether the issue persists?

3, doesn’t seem to be anything to do with using sidecar on an iPad, more a workaround for some monitor issues with a mac? I don’t understand your point in the context of the original question. Are you even talking about an iPad at this point or an M1 Mac?

Judging by your last paragraph, perhaps you’re here just to tell us about your disdain for Apple rather than looking for real answers?

 

[hajime]

I will keep an eye on 1 & 2 and report back.

For 3, I am trying to use my 4K TV as an external display for the iPad Pro. One Apple employee told me that Apple does not make any adapter to connect the iPad Pro to a 4K TV via HDMI. However, from the product page, I found that the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter which I used for my MacBook Pro 16" 2019 is compatible with M1 iPad Pro 12.9". So I am using it but the screen of the TV is washed out. Did not have this problem when using this adapter with MacBook Pro 16" 2019 and the same TV. While searing for a solution, I came across a post mentioning that enable Sidecar would solve the issue. Other posts mentioned having the same issue with other M1 devices.

 

[cupcakes2000]

I will keep an eye on 1 & 2 and report back.

For 3, I am trying to use my 4K TV as an external display for the iPad Pro. One Apple employee told me that Apple does not make any adapter to connect the iPad Pro to a 4K TV via HDMI. However, from the product page, I found that the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter which I used for my MacBook Pro 16" 2019 is compatible with M1 iPad Pro 12.9". So I am using it but the screen of the TV is washed out. Did not have this problem when using this adapter with MacBook Pro 16" 2019 and the same TV. While searing for a solution, I came across a post mentioning that enable Sidecar would solve the issue. Other posts mentioned having the same issue with other M1 devices.

Regarding 3, fair enough. But that advice is regarding M1 macs. Not iPads. As mentioned you can’t enable sidecar via an iPad.

I suspect that the cable you’re using is not as compatible as advertised. If it was me, I would buy a dedicated solution for the iPad, which will solve the problem. I have several cables and adapters which I occasionally use which works with no issues like you describe.

There is a definite difference in the compatibility between what the USB port in the iPad seems to be able to handle compared with the anything\everything assumption in a traditional system.

 

[hajime]

Thanks. Regarding 3, I went to an Apple Store and also called Apple. They have no idea what is wrong. One person kept asking me if I am using an Apple TV even I told her that I am using a Sony TV. I have been using the same cable to connect the TV from MacBook Pro 16" 2019 for over 1.5 years without issue. I have another high quality cable coming. I will test that.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Thanks. Regarding 3, I went to an Apple Store and also called Apple. They have no idea what is wrong. One person kept asking me if I am using an Apple TV even I told her that I am using a Sony TV. I have been using the same cable to connect the TV from MacBook Pro 16" 2019 for over 1.5 years without issue. I have another high quality cable coming. I will test that.

She has a point probably. Depending on your use case using airplay is an extremely viable alternative. I use it 99% of the time without lag or colour/res issues. Very simple too. An expensive proposition perhaps, compared to a cable, but it works pretty flawlessly in my case.

 

[hajime]

Got a new HDMI cable. This one even supports HDMI 2.1. Same problem. I doubt it is a cable issue as I have tried different premium HDMI 2.0a and 2.0b compatible cables. They all work on different devices I have and TV images look clear without wash out.

I noticed ithat even with the several HDMi 2.0a and 2.0b compatible cables, the default (recommended) HDR option has this issue but when I switched to SDR, no more wash out. Know what is going on? If I keep it at SDR, does that mean my external TV will not be playing HDR which is the recommended default option?