How to customize the double-tap action on the Apple Pencil 2

The Apple Pencil 2 is a great accessory for artists and heavy note-takers. It offers some smart features that make it stand out, when compared to regular/dumb styli. For example, you get handwriting recognition, pressure sensitivity, palm rejection, and more. One of the notable perks of using this smart stylus is its double-tap action. By default, when you double tap its side — towards the tip of the Pencil — it switches between the eraser and the tool you’re using. Of course, you’ll need to be in an app that supports this gesture. Plenty of popular doodling apps have already adopted this API, and it works seamlessly. However, what if you want double-tapping to do something else or nothing at all, that’s possible. Here’s how to customize the double-tap action on the Apple Pencil 2.

Customizing the double-tap action on the Apple Pencil 2

• Make sure you have Bluetooth turned on — otherwise the relevant options won’t show up in the steps that follow.

• Launch the Settings app on the iPad you’ve paired the Apple Pencil 2.

• Scroll down to the Apple Pencil section, and select it.

• There you will find the list of actions you can set for the double-tap gesture, and you can remap it at any given point. These options are:
  • Switch Between Current Tool and Eraser
  • Switch Between Current Tool and Last Used
  • Show Color Palette
  • Show Ink Attributes
• Once you select one of these five options, the remapping will immediately take effect.
• Voila! To test the different actions, you can launch the built-in Apple Notes app — as it supports this feature.

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The Apple Pencil 2 is a great addition to consider if you have plans to buy an iPad. There are also great iPad games out there that support this smart stylus. So you can take advantage of it while being both productive and unproductive.

Which of the available double-tap actions will you choose, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.