Skip to main content

You can now use FiftyThree’s Pencil with Moleskine’s Journal app for iOS

Pencil owners rejoice: You can now use your stylus with Moleskine’s Journal iOS app. That’s FiftyThree’s Pencil by the way — you still can’t use your average Dixon Ticonderoga pencil on an iPad.

Moleskine has teamed up with FiftyThree to make the latter company’s Bluetooth stylus compatible with the journal app. As with the myriad of apps Pencil works on, you can draw on the app and vary the width of the stroke by changing the angle of the stylus against the screen. You can also use the eraser tool like you would an ordinary pencil, by flipping it around and rubbing the screen.

Recommended Videos

FiftyThree’s Pencil has been around for a while and has a growing list of “Pencil-ready” apps that you can use it with, as the company released the SDK for developers to utilize. A few apps include FiftyThree’s own Paper, OneNote, and Adobe Photoshop Sketch. Moleskine Journal is the latest addition to the list.

The Pencil, not to be confused with Apple’s more recent product, comes in three different models: graphite, gold, and walnut. It’s tips are also plated in 14k gold, allowing for minimal latency, and it will also last you a month of power on a single charge.

Likewise, the Moleskine app has been around for a few years and also is integrated with services like Evernote and Adobe’s Creative Cloud. The app allows users to draw, write, and share projects through its various fonts and toolset. Both the Journal app and the Pencil are only available for iOS devices.

The app and the integration is free, but FiftyThree’s Pencil will cost you $60.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
If iOS 17 is a letdown, you can blame this one Apple device
iOS 16 Work Focus with a Fantastical widget and two rows of work-related apps

Apple is going all out on developing the operating system for its secret mixed-reality headset. In fact, that ongoing effort could mean Apple’s other systems miss out on exciting new features this year, including iOS 17 and macOS 14.

According to a new report from journalist Mark Gurman, Apple has reassigned engineers to the headset’s operating system, dubbed xrOS, and away from other projects. That might be bad news if you were hoping for major software updates to the next iPhone, iPad, and Mac models.

Read more
Apple’s best iOS 16 feature is something you can’t see
An iPhone 13 Pro running iOS 16 sits on top of an iPad with red lighting shining.

With iOS 16, Apple is once again showing off one of its more useful features. No, it's not iMessage, though that's part of it. It's not the new Apple Pay Later, whatever you may think of it — though that again is part of it. It's not even the new lock screen that's sure to draw attention.

It's all of these and none of these at the same time. Apple's strongest feature is its ubiquity. It's the ability to roll out new features that rely on large groups of people to use them and actually have people use them. It's not a feature you can will into existence, and it's something that Apple's iOS 16 features once again highlight.

Read more
You can finally move your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS
WhatsApp and Telegram app icons.

Moving WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS has been a painful task for years. But not anymore, as Apple and WhatsApp have made the process a whole lot easier. Starting today, Apple is adding a feature that allows you to move chats between the two platforms. The feature is a part of Apple’s existing “Move to iOS” Android application. It’s worth noting that the feature is currently available for beta users only, so non-beta users might have to wait for a week or two as it's rolled out in phases.

This is a big move since 2 million people use WhatsApp and, until now, there wasn’t an official method to move conversations between Android and iOS. There have been third-party solutions here and there, but nothing officially backed by Apple or WhatsApp. With the feature becoming available, users will be able to move their chats swiftly from Android to iOS.

Read more