Apple Pencil Crippled in iOS 9.3 Betas

Serenity Caldwell for iMore:

I’ve never been much of a navigational-stylus-on-the-iPad person, so it initially surprised me when I began using my Pencil outside of traditional drawing and sketching apps. But on the iPad Pro, it feels right — especially if you’re switching between sketching a drawing or altering a photo with the Pencil to another app. If I’m looking at Google Images in one Split View pane while drawing in the other, it’s easy to move the Pencil from side to side.

I also found it hugely useful at times when I couldn’t sit or stand at a desk: When I first got the iPad Pro, I was recovering from an illness, and spent about a week working on the couch. When reading, the Pro’s screen was often just a hair too far away or awkwardly angled for me to scroll or tap with my fingers alone, but the angle and length of the Pencil made it the perfect tool to use on the screen while I rested.

I haven’t found that to be the case for me. I don’t like using the Pencil to navigate the UI or to select text, but…

Unfortunately, whether by bug or intentional design, the Pencil’s navigational prowess appears to have vanished in the iOS 9.3 public betas. With 9.3, you can no longer scroll or manipulate text; the only places the Pencil works are on canvas or when pressing digital buttons.

I don’t want this to go away — this would force me to put down the pencil when taking notes in Split View or when popping out to another app in Slide Over for a few seconds. I do use the Pencil then, just because it’s quicker than putting it down.

Please Apple, don’t cripple the Pencil.