Best drawing and Pencil apps for iPhone Duo

Apple Pencil support arrived on iPhone Duo with iOS 27.2 on Oct 26, and it works on both the inner and outer displays, per 9to5Mac's iOS 27.2 report. The catch for artists is the Pencil itself: only Apple Pencil (USB-C) works, and none of the third-party apps below documents Pencil support on the Duo specifically yet, though Apple's own instructions name Notes and Freeform, per Gadget Hacks. Prices below are from each App Store listing as of Nov 7, 2026.

Pairing, charging and the full list of what the Pencil can and can't do are in the Apple Pencil on iPhone Duo guide, so this page sticks to apps.

What every app here has to work around

Apple's iPhone Duo spec page lists Apple Pencil (USB-C) support and adds in a footnote that "Hover is not supported when using Apple Pencil (USB-C) with iPhone Duo." The Pencil costs $79 as of Nov 7, 2026, on Apple's Apple Pencil (USB-C) page, which lists tilt sensitivity and doesn't mention pressure.

MacRumors' Pencil guide confirms the USB-C model has no pressure sensitivity, double-tap or squeeze. That matters more for painting than for notes: line weight won't follow how hard you press, whatever the app offers on iPad.

Third-party support may vary, Gadget Hacks says, because each app decides which handwriting and drawing features it offers. For layout, the App Store labels apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later as Made for iPhone Duo, while older apps run centered with empty space on each side, MacRumors reported.

Apple Notes and Freeform

Apple Notes and Freeform are the safe starting point. Both are free from Apple, according to the Notes App Store listing and the Freeform App Store listing. Gadget Hacks says Apple's instructions name writing in Notes and sketching in Freeform, and MacStories wrote about handwriting in both apps on the Duo after iOS 27.2.

Apple's iPhone User Guide page for the Pencil on iPhone Duo also covers Scribble, which turns handwriting into typed text, and an Only Draw with Apple Pencil setting that leaves your finger for scrolling.

The limitation: these are notebooks and whiteboards, not painting apps. The Freeform listing still describes drawing with your finger and doesn't mention Apple Pencil or iPhone Duo, and it sells extra features through an Apple Creator Studio subscription at $12.99 a month or $129 a year.

Procreate Pocket (and why not full Procreate)

Full Procreate doesn't run on iPhone. Its App Store listing is iPad-only at $12.99 and requires iPadOS 16.3 or later; for iPhone, Savage Interactive sells Procreate Pocket separately.

Procreate Pocket costs $5.99 with no subscription, per its App Store listing, and requires iOS 26.0 or later. Savage Interactive's Procreate Pocket page says the app is "Made and optimized for iPhone and iPhone Duo." The Oct 30 version 5.0.2 lists more than 150 new brushes, brush libraries, stroke stabilization and color history.

The limitation: neither the listing nor Procreate's page mentions Apple Pencil support on the Duo. The update also adds per-brush pressure curves, which likely won't do much with a Pencil that has no pressure sensitivity. That's an inference from the two sources, not something Procreate has said.

Goodnotes

Goodnotes has the most detailed Duo notes of the handwriting apps. Its App Store release notes for version 7.1.34 say "Goodnotes is now optimized for iPhone Duo," with a two-level toolbar, a reading mode and layouts for folded, semi-folded and unfolded positions.

It's free to download, with Goodnotes Pro at $35.99 a year, a Goodnotes 6 one-time payment at $28.99 and an AI Pass at $9.99 a month, all as of Nov 7, 2026. The limitation: the Duo release notes don't say anything about Apple Pencil on the Duo specifically, so treat Pencil handwriting there as Apple's system support until Goodnotes says more.

Concepts

Concepts is the sketching pick for an infinite canvas. TopHatch's Oct 22 version 6.37 says "Concepts UI is now adapted for the iPhone Duo!" and that the gallery, canvas and tools shift as you fold and unfold, per its App Store listing.

Concepts is free with in-app purchases: Everything costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, and an iPhone-only Essentials unlock costs $4.99, as of Nov 7, 2026. The limitation: Concepts says its pens and brushes respond to pressure, tilt and velocity, and MacRumors says the Apple Pencil (USB-C) has no pressure sensitivity. That suggests strokes will be less expressive than on an iPad with a pressure-sensitive Pencil, though that's our inference, not something TopHatch has said.

Notewise

Notewise is the only app on this list that Apple named in its Oct 22 newsroom roundup of iPhone Duo apps. Its App Store listing shows an "Unfold Ideas on iPhone Duo" event and describes handwritten notes, sketching on a freeform canvas and more than 30 brushes and tools.

It's free, with Notewise Cloud plans from $4.99 a month or $28.99 a year and a Notewise Unlimited purchase at $19.99, as of Nov 7, 2026. The limitation: the listing doesn't mention Apple Pencil, and its storage tiers are subscriptions.

Notability

Notability is free to download with in-app purchases, including Notability Plus at $19.99, as of Nov 7, 2026, per its App Store listing. It requires iOS 18.0 or later.

The limitation: the listing doesn't mention iPhone Duo, and its recent Pencil changes cover the Apple Pencil Pro squeeze gesture, which the USB-C model doesn't have. Check for a Made for iPhone Duo label before you pay.

Sketchbook

Sketchbook is free with a $2.99 Premium Bundle, per its App Store listing, and its Oct 26 version 6.3 adds time-lapse view and speed options and shows layer names in the Layer Editor.

The limitation: the listing doesn't mention iPhone Duo, and its Pencil features, a hover brush preview plus squeeze and barrel roll, depend on hover or the Apple Pencil Pro. Neither applies on the Duo, based on Apple's spec page.

Which one should you get?

For handwritten notes, start with Apple Notes, then try Goodnotes if you want a Duo-optimized notebook. For sketching, Procreate Pocket is the one-time-purchase pick with a stated Duo optimization, and Concepts suits diagrams and infinite canvases.

Serious painters should be realistic. On paper, no pressure and no hover make the Duo a sketchbook, not an iPad replacement. On hover, iThinkDifferent reported that code once read as hover support was later retracted by the developer who found it.

We'll update this guide as more drawing apps document Pencil support on the Duo. More on apps: best apps for iPhone Duo and productivity apps.