iPad users will be able to use an Apple Pencil to write words into any text box, if an unconfirmed report is correct. Handwriting recognition will allegedly be built into iPadOS 14.
This would bring real changes to the way many interact with their tablet.
Write text don’t type it
iPad handwriting recognition will be a system-wide feature, according to MacRumors. It will allow users to write words with an Apple Pencil into any application, from Messages to Calendar. Third-party software developers will have access to PencilKit tool with handwriting recognition functionality.
Supposedly, a floating text-entry area will appear whenever someone touches a text field with an Apple Pencil. Exactly how this will work with Notes, which combines text and handdrawn images, isn’t yet clear.
If true, this will be a boon to iPad users who frequently use their Apple Pencil and now must switch back and forth between it and the on-screen keyboard. It might even allow those who wish to forgo use of the keyboard altogether.
iPad handwriting recognition apparently requires Apple Pencil
MacRumors says this feature is coming in iOS 14, but seems to indicate handwriting recognition will only work with Apple Pencil. And no current iPhone supports that accessory. iOS and iPadOS only recently diverged, and it’s possible MacRumors still uses iOS to also refer to iPadOS.
Upcoming improvements might not only be related to text entry. iPadOS 14 allegedly might include a “Magic Fill” tool. This will fill in shapes that the user has drawn with the Pencil.
