The third-generation Apple Pencil may incorporate force sensors to detect when you squeeze the stylus in your hand, triggering preset actions like adding a signature.
Code sleuths over at 9to5Mac have found evidence in the iPadOS 17.5 code which seemingly confirms that the next Apple Pencil will introduce a new gesture.
It would be presumably invoked by pressing the stylus surface, which would trigger quick actions such as adding shapes to your illustrations, signatures to your documents, stickers to your conversations and even text fields.
The next Apple Pencil 3 may bring a squeeze gesture
Interestingly, Apple has also updated the interface for pairing an Apple Pencil for the first time to support new, non-existent hardware.
And:
PadOS 17.4 has introduced a new version of the PencilKit API, which developers can use to make their apps compatible with Apple Pencil, but Apple is yet to reveal what new capabilities PencilKit 3 brings.
Maybe Apple doesn’t want to reveal its secrets prematurely?
The double-tap gesture on Apple Pencil 2
The second-generation Apple Pencil ($129) supports the double-tap gesture in compatible apps to quickly switch back to the last-used tool. You can configure the double-tap gesture to your liking in Settings > Apple Pencil.
It only works on the second-generation Apple Pencil; both the first-generation model ($99) and the latest USB-C Apple Pencil ($79) lack touch sensors.
By that logic, the squeeze gesture is unlikely to work on the existing Pencil models. Force sensors are required to detect pressure, but no current Apple Pencil models have those. Translated into English: You’ll need to purchase the third-generation Apple Pencil when it arrives if you plan on using the squeeze gesture.
Apple Pencil 3 could drop in May
There haven’t been many Apple Pencil 3 rumors. Still, one source said recently that an unspecified future model will support drawing on the Vision Pro headset in compatible software such as Pixelmator and Apple’s Freeform app.
Moreover, the iPadOS 17.4 code indicated that the next Pencil might also support tracking via the Find My app thanks to Ultra Wideband technology.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently suggested that Apple could unveil the next Apple Pencil alongside the first OLED-based iPad Pros and a revamped Magic Keyboard later in May instead of late March or early April as he said before.