Apple could unveil a new and improved Apple Pencil, equipped with a brand-new “squeeze” gesture, providing additional control without taking your hand off the pencil.
According to 9to5Mac, there are references to a new gesture called “squeeze” in the code for iPadOS 17.5 beta, which was recently released to developers. This gesture appears to be used to add shapes, signatures, stickers, or a text field, thereby saving time for those writing notes or quickly annotating a sketch or document.
These squeeze gestures are unlikely to refer to the Apple Pencil 2, as it has pressure sensors only on its tip and not on the stylus’ surface. This suggests that the gesture is for an as-yet-unannounced Apple Pencil 3 that could launch alongside some new iPads rumored to launch in May.
Other indicators of a potential new model include mentioning the Apple Pencil being supported by the Find My app, as current Apple Pencils cannot be tracked via this app. This feature will allow you to find the Pencil, just like you can track AirPods and AirTags, which is handy for something so easily lost as a pen.
Another possible clue that a new Apple Pencil is on the way is that iPadOS 17.4 has added an updated version of the PencilKit API, which developers use to make apps compatible with the Apple Pencil. However, the exact new features are unknown.
