iPADOSdevelopers wouldn’t even have to make many changes
because they can use Apple’s Pencil palette in their
own apps with just three lines of code.
A portable palette
The palette (or ‘tool picker’) for Apple’s Notes app
always struck me as too austere compared to its
counterparts in other apps, but there was little question
that it delivered the smoothest writing experience with
the Apple Pencil. With Apple’s new PencilKit, though,
third-party developers can now include Apple’s palette
in theirownapps.
AndsuddenlyIfindthepalettealotmoreappealing.
No third-party app, for instance, mimics pencil lines
as well as Apple Notes does, and now that’s available
for any app that wants to use it. The palette also has
a handy ruler tool for use with the Pencil, but it also
supports a new pixel eraser for greater precision when
erasing Pencil strokes.
Theminimalismisnowa strength.Afterall,the
palettecanfloatovertheinterfacenow,andit’sno
longer anchoredalongthebottomoftheNotesapp
(or whateverthird-partyappisusingit).Forthatmatter,
youcannowusethePenciltodragthepalettetothe
edgeofthedisplay,oryoucanminimizeitifyoufind
it’s still getting in the way.
Third-party apps will likely still design their own
palettes, of course, but this ensures Apple’s own
options and technology are always at hand if someone
prefers them over an app’s native counterparts. As a
bonus, the new palette also changes to black if you’re
using Dark Mode.