OneNote on iPad OS 16 no longer allowing scribble (write-to-text)

Anonymous
2022-10-28T14:49:19+00:00

Hi. I had been using OneNote on iPad Pro with scribble so I could write notes by hand using the Apple Pen and they automatically convert to text. I've just updated to iPad OS 16 and the feature doesn't work anymore. When I select the pen with the letter "A" on it (what I did previously), and start writing, it immediately reverts to Text Mode when I touch the Apple Pen to the surface of the iPad. I can choose a "pen" and take notes like normal, but the scribble feature no longer works. It doesn't convert to text. Is this a known issue as a result of iPad OS 16?

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Anonymous
2022-10-28T18:40:20+00:00

Hi there,

I'm a Product Manager on the OneNote team.

First, let me apologize for the disruption you're experiencing with Scribble on OneNote.

We have currently turned off Scribble on OneNote for all users on iPadOS 16. We encountered some unusual behavior with this new OS and are working on a fix ASAP. We hope to have the feature restored very soon.

Thank you for your patience. I will follow up on this thread once I have more news to share.

Best,

Greg

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-06-05T18:55:02+00:00

    It has been 7 months. Any news on when this is going to get fixed?

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-01-19T19:18:47+00:00

    We have completed the rollout of Scribble to 100%. If you do not see it, please restart OneNote or your device.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-01-17T15:23:18+00:00

    I think I'm just going to send a note everyday until we get a valid response. The reality is there is no way it would take this long to release to all iPad devices in the modern tech era. I'm not buying the concept that this is still being pushed out to users.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-11-02T13:45:34+00:00

    Thanks, Waqas. It seems like the issue is due to iPad OS 16 and that the functionality has been disabled for now, per Greg's comment below. I did try reinstalling OneNote several times and toggling on/off the scribble function centrally in settings, but to no avail. Now we know why.

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