
In this iPhone stylus overview, I will be discussing one of the best iPhone accessories for drawing: the stylus. I will discuss which is the best stylus for your iPhone and all you need to know about using a stylus on your iPhone. Let’s get into it!
Do Stylus Pens Work on iPhone?
While the iPhone does not officially support styluses, you can still use a stylus on your iPhone. There are various third-party iPhone stylus pens that offer compatibility with the iPhone.
When annotating or drawing on your iPhone, you aren’t limited to using your finger. You can use a third-party stylus that does a much better job and which will make your life a lot easier.
What Pens Can I Use on My iPhone?
The best compatible pens for iPhone are the Sonar Pen and the Adonit styluses. These aren’t the only iPhone stylus options out there, but they all support pressure sensitivity, which greatly improves the user experience.
However, you can also use other third-party styluses. If they don’t have pressure sensitivity, though, the experience might not be as great.
Types of Styluses and Their Uses
There are a few different types of styluses you can use. The best kind of iPhone stylus is the capacitive stylus. This stylus is designed to work with modern touchscreen technology. It mimics the way your finger would interact with the touchscreen while also giving you more control.
There are also passive and active styluses. Passive styluses typically do not have a battery. Active styluses contain a battery and control chip and requires power, as they use electromagnetic induction. These are often specifically designed for certain screens. For example, the Apple Pencil is designed to work with the iPad only.
Of course, there are also several possible designs when it comes to styluses. Some may have a plastic tip, while others may have a soft rubber tip or even a brush tip for specific use cases.
Most of the time, you will be using a capacitive stylus with touchscreen devices. The exception is with certain resistive touchscreens – the kind you will find at parking machines or ATMs – where you need to not only touch the screen but also push down. These will use resistive styluses, if they have styluses. For capacitive styluses, I recommend using one with a soft rubber tip or a plastic disc.
Best Styluses for Writing and Note-Taking on iPhone
With that said, let’s get into the best stylus for note-taking on an iPhone. In my opinion, Adonit makes the best writing styluses for iPhones.
In particular, the Adonit Dash 4 is the best iPhone stylus for writing. It supports pressure sensitivity and even palm rejection (only on iPads that support palm rejection). Palm rejection is a feature that prevents your palm from interfering with your writing when writing on a touchscreen.
However, check out Adonit’s Styluses for iOS collection for a full list of its styluses that work on iPhones. There are some pretty affordable ones there too!
Best Styluses for Drawing on iPhone
The best stylus for drawing on an iPhone is the SonarPen. The SonarPen supports pressure sensitivity, which allows you to control your stroke width. It also supports palm rejection and finger rejection on Android devices (although not on iPhones, which don’t support this feature natively). This is a capacitive stylus that does not contain an internal battery.
Can You Use a Regular Pen as a Stylus on iPhone?
No, I would not recommend using a pen as a stylus on your iPhone. However, if you need an emergency stylus for your iPhone, you can create a DIY stylus for your iPhone instead.
You can make a makeshift stylus for your iPhone with a Q-tip. Wrap it in aluminum foil so it creates an electric charge and use it as a stylus. However, this would not be an optimal solution, as it can scratch your phone screen.
Can Apple Pencil Be Used as a Stylus on iPhone?
You might be wondering whether the Apple Pencil can be used on your iPhone. Unfortunately, the Apple Pencil is not a good iPhone stylus option.
That is because it is an active stylus that is designed specifically to work with iPads, unlike iPhones, which require a capacitive stylus. iPads have technology that detect the electromagnetic current created by the Apple Pencil. iPhones do not have that. Therefore, using an Apple Pencil on an iPhone won’t work.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this guide on finding the best stylus for your iPhone. The best iPhone stylus for drawing is the SonarPen. Another top stylus for iPhones is the Adonit line of iOS styluses. However, you can use any stylus, although I recommend one that offers pressure sensitivity.