Apple Notes and Freeform cause heating on iPad Air M3 with Apple Pencil Pro (iPadOS 26.1)

I am experiencing a consistent heating issue specifically in Apple Notes and Freeform on my iPad Air M3 running iPadOS 26.1.

When I write using the Apple Pencil Pro, the iPad begins to heat noticeably after I have written around 2–3 pages of handwritten content. It does not heat on a blank note or board, but the heating starts once the note or Freeform board has some handwriting.


Important details:

  • Apple Notes → heats after 2–3 pages
  • Freeform → heats after partial board writing
  • Third-party handwriting apps (GoodNotes, Notability) → no heating even after long sessions


Steps to reproduce:

  1. Open Apple Notes or Freeform
  2. Create a new note or board
  3. Write continuously using Apple Pencil Pro
  4. After around 2–3 pages, device starts heating


Frequency: Every time

Device: iPad Air M3

Apple Pencil: Apple Pencil Pro

iPadOS Version: 26.1 (latest public update)


Expected behavior:

Handwriting several pages with Apple Pencil Pro in Notes or Freeform should not cause device heating.

Has anyone else experienced this? Are there any known fixes or workarounds?

Thanks in advance!

iPad Air (M3, 2025)

Posted on Nov 26, 2025 11:54 AM

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Apple Notes and Freeform cause heating on iPad Air M3 with Apple Pencil Pro (iPadOS 26.1)

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