Apple pencil

I’m having similar issues.  Ever since the last update a couple weeks ago, when I share a PDF and try to annotate on it, random letters and marks will disappear and I will have to rewrite them a bunch of times to stay.  I can’t seem to reach out to an actual Zoom human, and the Zoom virtual chat bot suggestions were all tried and failed to help.  If anyone, human preferably, has advice on how to fix this problem, I would love to hear it.

I have the same problem over here! The words that I am writing on the shared screen are keep disappearing. Zoom, please fix it.

Hi, I came across the same issue as well. But my friend doesn’t have this problem because she’s using the latest iPad version with the latest Apple Pencil.  

However, no matter what I do... have the Zoom updated to the latest version, restart and refreshing my iPad, nothing seemed to be able to fix this issue. I can draw two or three times, but I can’t keep the drawing stay on the screen.

It also seems inconsistent depending on what content is being shared:
- PDFs: sometimes works  
- Images: does not work  
- Whiteboard: works  
- Documents: does not work  

Honestly, this is extremely frustrating — I don't expect to get this after paying the fee for the Apps. It’s completely useless!

I am having the exact same problem too with the classic whiteboard.  My iPad and Apple Pencil are only about a year old - very frustrating. 

yes I am still having this issue, both with the whiteboard, and with writing on photos shared within the meeting.  Sometimes the drawing will stay on if I go over it really slowly a number of times, but mostly it just disappears.  It’s incredibly frustrating, and makes the whole experience useless, as I need it for teaching. 

Moreover, it is fine if I am just testing the whiteboard not actually connected to a meeting, which makes troubleshooting very difficult!  During the meeting the disappearing writing happens most of the time - very occasionally it works, or if I go over the letters for a certain length of time.  But writing with my finger doesn’t work.  If I’m not in a meeting, both seemed to work fine. 

Edit. No, it’s even weirder than that.  If I don’t start writing with my finger first, then none of it seems to work.

still happening, despite the new update.  But thanks for the tip above about using the highlighter pen, as that at least seems to be working as normal (mostly, unless I write too fast! but generally seems OK).  So annoying that the normal pen isn’t working, especially now that it’s school term time again and we need this feature for teaching

is there any update on this or resolution? It’s been extremely frustrating the past couple months using zoom. 

Hi ​@radmathman,

Thank you for joining and participating in the community! I apologize for the late response. It sounds like the issue is specifically with the classic in-meeting whiteboard/annotation when using an Apple Pencil on the iPad.

Since the highlighter and finger input work, but regular pencil/pen strokes sometimes disappear, it may be related to how the classic annotation tool is handling Apple Pencil input.

Here are a few things I'd try, starting with the easiest:

1. Try the newer Zoom Whiteboard
If possible, try using Zoom Whiteboard instead of the classic in-meeting whiteboard/annotation tool. The newer Whiteboard experience has dedicated support for active styluses like Apple Pencil, so this is probably the first thing I'd test.

2. Make sure Zoom is up to date
On the iPad, open the App Store and check for an update to the Zoom Workplace app. After updating, completely close Zoom, reopen it, and join the meeting again.

3. Check the Apple Pencil settings
On the iPad, go to:

Settings → Apple Pencil

If you see an option such as “Only Draw with Apple Pencil,” try turning it off temporarily and test the whiteboard again. The exact wording can vary depending on the iPadOS version.

4. Try changing the pen settings
Since the highlighter works, try changing a few things with the regular pen/pencil:

• Switch between Pen/Pencil if both are available
• Increase the line thickness by one level
• Try a different color

Sometimes a rendering issue can affect a particular pen style, thickness, or color, so this is a quick way to narrow it down.

If the problem only happens with Apple Pencil + the classic whiteboard, while finger input and the newer Zoom Whiteboard work normally, that would be a good clue that the issue is specific to the classic annotation experience rather than the iPad or Apple Pencil itself.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to reach out anytime.