Goodnotes Adds New Features That Work With Apple Pencil Pro

Popular note taking app Goodnotes today announced new features that are designed to work with the Apple Pencil Pro that launched alongside the 2024 iPad Pro models. The ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro supports a squeeze gesture with haptic feedback, as well as a barrel roll for better control over shaped pen and brush tools.

goodnotes dynamic ink
Palette is a set of tools that pops up in Goodnotes with a squeeze of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro. It allows users to swap between essential tools, undo, and change ink stroke, thickness, and color. Normally these features would need to be accessed through a tool panel, but the Palette makes it much quicker to swap between options without interrupting a workflow.

Goodnotes' Fountain Pen now includes Dynamic Ink with an ink flow that is able to respond to the rotation of the ‌Apple Pencil‌. Instead of just responding to pressure sensitivity, the Fountain Pen is able to make thinner or thicker lines based on the orientation of the ‌Apple Pencil‌, for a more natural pen-like feel.

Strokes will vary with calligraphic flourishes as a physical fountain pen would, which Goodnotes says can bring more personal expression to digital writing. Rolling the barrel of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro can also provide more precise control over stroke thickness, and stroke preview is available using ‌Apple Pencil‌ hover.

Goodnotes 6 can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but it costs $9.99 per year after a free trial. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
iphone fold text

'iPhone Fold' Arrival Expected to Cement Book-Style Era for Foldables

Friday December 12, 2025 3:55 am PST by
Foldable smartphone panel shipments are projected to jump 46% year-over-year in 2026, with Apple's entry into the market serving as the main catalyst, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Foldable-Rollable Display Shipment Tracker. "Apple is the key driver as it starts to procure panels for its first foldable iPhone," said Counterpoint's Guillaume Chansin. The research firm expects...

Top Rated Comments

JustinePaula Avatar
21 months ago
Goodnotes is a terrible app, they never update with useful features, there is no password protection, honestly it feels like the app is a light scam, I don't trust Goodnotes..
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cornycopier Avatar
21 months ago

A lot of student use Goodnotes, and the way they use it is just the same as what they can do with the native Notes app.

Apple are really bad at explaining what their native apps can do. So many people use things like Fantastical, 1Password, OmniFocus, Scanner Pro, Evernote etc - and when you look at what they do with them, they just don't need to use them...
I think you'd find that the apps that you listed go above and beyond ANY of the stock apps on iOS/iPadOS.

Whether an individual uses 3rd party apps to their full potential or exactly as if they're stock apps really isn't your choice or business. You enjoy your stock apps and we'll enjoy our 3rd party apps. It's all good.

Side note: To be sure, as a daily user of Goodnotes for many years (seriously, all day every day at work), Apple Notes isn't even remotely in the same ball park.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Remy149 Avatar
21 months ago

Now, if only the iPhone Pro Max would support the Apple Pencil.
I use an Apple Pencil daily I couldn’t imagine using it on any phone comfortably.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
21 months ago
Apple must approach these app developers in advance and secretly offer prototype devices to support development of these new features. How else can such support be rolled out so quickly after the announcement?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cornycopier Avatar
21 months ago

I agree, apart from your last sentence. They do go way beyond what the stock apps do in most cases (not sure about Scanner Pro?) and it's only 'my business' in the sense that it's an interesting debate - but most people don't use them to their full potential. There's always the risk that these companies will go bust, hike their prices, get hacked etc.

I used to use OmniFocus, but I spent more time fiddling with it than Getting Things Done. Fantastical didn't do anything FOR ME that the stock Calendars app doesn't do, and Scanner Pro is entirely redundant now.

If you can be bothered, why is Apple Notes so inferior to Goodnotes? Genuinely interested... I particularly need to be able to share notes with other iOS and Mac users, and collaborate on them.
There's always a risk that ANY company (including Apple someday) could go bust. There's also always a risk that someday the entire planet could go cold. I'm not sure that the iOS world is abuzz with debate over stock vs third party apps. People use what people use to whatever potential they use them. I don't have the time nor an interest in worrying about whether or not my colleagues are using the scheduling feature in Fantastical. I'm not paying for the apps they use on their devices. It doesn't concern me.

I happen to agree with your anecdote re: OmniFocus, as well as several other GTD apps. In this case I have landed back on the stock Reminders app. Why? Because it works better for me in my particular case usage.

And that brings me to your last question - the idea of case usage. Some have problems with it but I've been quite happy with Goodnotes. In MY case, it does exactly what I need it to do in an easy and sensible way. The inking and manipulation thereof, as well as PDF annotation is just superior... FOR ME. There are modes that allow it to be used in a presentational setting so that one can lecture, annotate, etc without the audience seeing any color pickers or other controls - only annotations.

I'm not going to get into a feature for feature comparison of Goodnotes vs Apple Notes. You can use Google to find any number of articles/videos doing that. I'll say that it works better for ME in MY professional arena. Is that the case for everybody? Nope. Is it a concern for me? Nope. If Goodnotes suddenly goes bust, yes, it would suck but I would find an alternative.

I will say that, for me, one stock app that is interesting, which I've been playing with, because I do see some potential for use in my setting, is Freeform. But it isn't quite ready to replace Goodnotes - FOR ME. I need that presentation mode first and foremost.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
21 months ago
Good to see the app supporting the new features of Apple Pencil Pro
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)