Well, that didn’t take long. In response to concerns that it is taking features away from the iPad Pro’s Pencil, Apple confirmed in a statement to The Verge that the next iOS 9.3 beta will reinstate the Pencil’s ability to be used as a finger replacement for the user interface navigation.
“We will add this functionality back in the next beta of iOS 9.3,” said a company spokesperson. Earlier today, MacRumors discovered that the most recent beta of iOS 9.3 has removed the ability for iPad Pro customers to use the Pencil to navigate the entirety of the iOS user interface.
“After the most recent iOS 9.3 beta removed the ability to navigate around iOS with the $99 add-on, marketed as a drawing tool more than a stylus, Apple’s confirmed with The Verge that all of those features will soon make a comeback,” wrote the publication.
“We believe a finger will always be the primary way users navigate on an iPad, but we understand that some customers like to use Apple Pencil for this as well and we’ve been working on ways to better implement this while maintaining compatibility during this latest beta cycle,” a spokesperson said.
Relay.fm co-founder Myke Hurley said on a recent podcast, citing sources in the know, that Apple has intentionally removed this functionality and asserted the company will not be bringing it back for philosophical reasons.
“Removing the functionality of the Apple Pencil is a decision inside of Apple. It is not a bug they have overlooked for three betas,” he said. “It is a decision.”
Glad Apple proved him wrong.
Source: The Verge