Notability is fine-tuned for and works best with an Apple Pencil (gen 1 & 2).
Highly Responsive Ink: Notability tracks the Apple Pencil's position as closely as possible to make writing fast, fluid, and lag-free.
Pressure-sensitivity: To make lines thicker, thinner, or anything in between, simply apply more pressure to create wider lines.
Please note: the Apple Pencil (USB-C) does not support pressure sensitivity.
Dashed & Dotted Lines: In addition to normal strokes, dashed and dotted lines can be used.
Mirror Ink (iOS only): Flip ink horizontally or vertically.
Using Mirror Ink:
Select ink.
From the overflow menu, select Mirror horizontally or Mirror vertically.
Apple Pencil Double-Tap Option: Customize your second-generation Apple Pencil with the following steps in your device’s Settings > Apple Pencil > Actions:
Switch between Current Tool and Eraser
Switch between Current Tool and Last Used
Show Color Palette
Show Ink Attributes
Turn Off
Auto-Deselect Eraser: Automatically switches back to the last used tool after erasing. This can be disabled in App Settings > Note Editor > Handwriting & Drawing > Auto-deselect Eraser.
Please note: multiple erase marks while squeezing are not possible.
Palm Detection: Notability tells the difference between an Apple Pencil and your palm, so your notes stay free of unwanted marks while resting your hand on your iPad's screen.
One-finger Scrolling: When you write with Apple Pencil, Notability lets you scroll through notes with your finger. To write with your finger or another stylus:
Open a note.
Select
or 
. Tap
to disconnect the Apple Pencil.
When you start writing with Apple Pencil again, Notability reconnects automatically.
Haptic Feedback: Feel a gentle vibration when drawing a shape or moving content around.
Haptics can be disabled in Notability Settings > Note Editor > Handwriting and Drawing > Apple Pencil Haptics.
Please note: Haptic feedback is only supported on Notability Cloud on an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil Pro, running iOS 18 or later.
Hover: Shows a preview of the area the pencil will select.
Hover can be disabled in Notability Settings > Note Editor > Handwriting and Drawing > Apple Pencil Hover.