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To draw on a photo on your iPhone, open it in Photos, tap Edit, then Markup. Choose a pen, marker, or pencil and draw with your finger. Tap Done to leave Markup, then tap Done again to save the edit. The steps and controls below reflect Apple’s iOS 26 guidance; button names and toolbar layouts can vary with iOS version, language, and app.
Draw on a photo in Photos
- Open Photos and tap the picture you want to annotate.
- Tap Edit, then tap Markup. If you do not see it immediately, check the editing toolbar or its minimized version.
- Choose the pen, marker, or pencil, then draw on the image with your finger.
- When you are finished, tap Done to close Markup and tap Done again to confirm the photo edit.
Apple documents this Photos workflow in its Markup instructions. Markup is designed for annotations—such as pointing out a detail or adding a short note—not for removing or retouching objects intelligently.
The Tool Desk
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- Stylus Pen for Touchscreen: No Bluetooth or charging needed—use instantly on any capacitive touch screen (iPad, iPhone, Android, Samsung). Dual rubber tips (5mm/6.6mm) ensure precise control for writing, drawing, or gaming. Lightweight aluminum body with vibrant colors.
- Precision & Comfort Redefined: High sensitivity rubber tip glides smoothly without lag or scratches. Ergonomic design reduces wrist strain for extended use. Compatible with tablets, phones, and Laptops.
- Dual-Tip Flexibility: Switch between 0.20” and 0.26” rubber nibs for detailed art or bold notes. Anti-scratch, fingerprint-resistant tip. Pretty bright metal colors inspire creativity.
- Effortless Multi-Device Compatibility: Works seamlessly on Apple, Samsung, Android, and more. No apps or setup—just pick up and write. Perfect for notes, games, or gifts—ready to spark ideas instantly. Replaceable tips included for long-term use.
- Creative Freedom, Anywhere: Lightweight aluminum stylus with natural grip. Includes 6 replaceable tips and 3 color stylus pens. Perfect for sharing with friends, family, or colleagues, this bundle ensures you’re always equipped to capture inspiration.
Choose a tool and adjust its appearance
Markup’s pen, marker, and pencil suit different kinds of marks. Use the pen for a solid outline or handwritten note, the marker for translucent emphasis, and the pencil for a lighter, sketch-like line. Available settings depend on the selected tool.
- Change line weight or opacity: Select a drawing tool, then tap it again to reveal its settings. Choose a line weight and adjust opacity where available.
- Change color: Open the color control and choose a color. Apple’s Markup guide describes Grid, Spectrum, and Sliders color options.
- Draw a straight line: Use the ruler as a guide, or draw a line and pause at the end so Markup can straighten a recognized shape. Move the ruler with one finger and rotate it with two.
For a close-up detail, pinch outward to zoom in and drag with two fingers to pan. Zooming can make finger input easier to place, but it does not turn Markup into a precision drawing or retouching app. See Apple’s iOS 26 Markup guide for tool controls.
Rank #2
- 【Stylus for Touch Screen】This stylus can be used on touch screen, designed to replace your fingers, the stylus can free up your fingers and provide higher sensitivity and response on the screen.
- 【Capacitive stylus】This is a capacitive stylus (battery-free, requires no charging, and functions like a fingertip)—not an active stylus. It does not support pressure sensitivity or palm rejection. However, it allows for tapping, scrolling, note-taking, and drawing on touchscreens; if you require professional-grade drawing capabilities on an iPad, please choose an active stylus instead.
- 【2-in-1 Stylus Pen】This stylus features two different tips: a flexible transparent disc tip and a rubber tip. Applying moderate pressure when using the rubber tip ensures full contact with the screen—especially on screens with protective films—thereby enabling stable signal transmission. The combination of the rubber tip and the disc tip offers two distinct touch experiences.Please note that the plastic piece on the transparent disc is an integral part of the tip and cannot be removed.
- 【Works On Capacitive Touch Screens】Compatible with iPad, iPad Air/mini, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Android tablets, Kindle and smartphones. Also works over most screen protectors — glide, no scratch. The stylus is used to replace your fingers on a touchscreen, Avoid rubbing your fingers and leaving fingerprints on touchscreen devices. If it cannot be used for writing on some devices, This may be due to limitations in the settings of touchscreen devices. If you cannot find a solution, please contact us at any time, and we will help you resolve the issue.
- 【Multiple Usage Scenarios】Whether you are taking notes in class, reviewing documents at work, drawing creative designs, or enjoying mobile games, this universal stylus pen delivers a smooth and comfortable touch experience. It is ideal for writing, sketching, annotating, scrolling, and precise screen control on tablets and smartphones. From daily tasks to creative projects, this stylus helps you capture ideas anytime and anywhere.
Add shapes, arrows, and text
Draw a shape freehand
Draw a recognizable shape in one stroke and pause when you finish. Markup may replace a hand-drawn line, arrow, circle, rectangle, triangle, star, heart, speech bubble, or cloud with a cleaner version. If you prefer your original hand-drawn mark, tap Undo. Shape recognition does not make every freehand attempt perfect.
Insert an editable shape
In Markup, tap Add, then Shape, and choose a shape. This inserts a shape you can position and adjust rather than relying on shape recognition. Apple lists both freehand shape recognition and inserted shapes in its Markup guide.
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Rank #3
- 【New Upgraded 3-in-1 Stylus】: Building on the foundation of dual rubber tips, this new version adds a more precise and sensitive transparent disc tip, and comes with a protective cap. This 3-in-1 stylus pen meets various needs in your daily life, whether it's clicking icons, writing, drawing, or playing games, it can handle them all with ease
- 【Highly Sensitive and Accurate】: The disc tip is transparent which allows visibility of the contact point, making it highly accurate and responsive. 180° flexible writing angle for comfortable using. You can get more smooth writing or painting experience, no lag, no interruption, no screen scratching
- 【Dual-sized Rubber Tips】: The two different-sized rubber tips(0.18'' & 0.27'') are smooth and responsive, made from high-quality silicone material with excellent wear and aging resistance. The soft rubber tips won't scratch screens or leave as many fingerprints as fingers. Ideal for those with long nails or larger fingers, perfect for browsing screens, writing, note-taking, and playing games
- 【Wide Compatibility】: MEKO capacitive styluses are universally compatible with all touchscreen devices such as Apple iPad iPhone Duo/ Tablet/Nintendo Switch/ iPod/ Galaxy/ kindle & morephones, tablets, touch screen laptops & PC, e-Reders etc
- 【Easy to Use & Replaceable】: No battery or bluetooth needed, simply unscrew the pen cap to use the disc tip and use dual rubber tips directly.All 3 tips are replaceable and finish the replacement process within seconds. Package contains 2* stylus, 4* 0.18'' replacing rubber tips, 4* 0.27'' replaceable rubber tips, 2* disc tips, effectively extending the lifetime of the stylus. To find extra replacement Disc tips, please search ASIN: B016X4QJWE on Amazon.
Add a label
- Tap Add, then Add Text.
- Tap the text box and type your label.
- Use the text controls to adjust its font, size, alignment, style, or color, then drag the box where you want it.
Markup also offers other Add items, including stickers, signatures, and a magnifier, though the available choices can depend on the app and context.
Undo, erase, or move a mark
- Undo the last action: Tap Undo to remove the most recent markup action.
- Erase part of a stroke: Choose the pixel eraser and scrub over the portion you want to remove.
- Remove a whole markup object: Choose the object eraser and tap the mark. On iOS 26, tap the eraser again to choose between pixel and object erasing.
- Move a mark: Choose the lasso, circle the markup object or group, lift your finger, then touch the selection and drag it. The lasso selects annotations, not the photo’s underlying content.
These controls are described in Apple’s Markup guide. If you only need to remove the most recent stroke, Undo is usually simpler than selecting it.
Rank #4
- 『Better Than Finger』- A stylus has a better touch point than the tip of your finger giving better accuracy to little touch focuses like keys on the console. No more big finger troubles.
- 『Anti-Scratch Tip』- The stylus pen tip was made of soft, and scratch resistant rubber,which can protect your screen from scratching and keep no fingerprints.
- 『Easy To Carry』- Slim body and lightweight. Clip design is great for clipping in your pocket, diary, etc. Great stylus for kids.
- 『Perfect For Sharing』- Get 10 of tablet stylus with an unbeatable price. You can share this tablet pen to your friends or family.
- 『Universal Capacitive Stylus』- 100% compatible with all capacitive touch screen devices,such as iPad,iPhone,tablets,samsung galaxy and so on.
Annotate a screenshot or a photo for Messages
Draw on a screenshot
Take a screenshot and open its preview to enter Markup immediately. Draw, add text, or use the other available annotation tools, then save or share the result. This is handy when you want to point out something currently on screen rather than find an existing photo in your library. Apple includes screenshots among the places Markup can be used in its Markup instructions.
Mark up an image in Messages
- Open a conversation, tap Add, then tap Photos.
- Select a photo, then tap the image in the message composer.
- Tap Markup and add your annotations.
- Tap Save, then Done, and send the image.
Use this route when you want to annotate an image for a conversation without first editing the library item in Photos. Messages also has Digital Touch for sending animated sketches or drawing effects on photos and videos; that is a messaging effect, not the same workflow as saving a Markup edit in Photos.
Best Value
- 【PREPARE YOUR IPAD BEFORE USE】Before using our iPad pen, ensure the "Only Draw with Apple Pencil" feature is off in Settings > Apple Pencil. Disabling this option is crucial for proper stylus functionality.
- 【UNIVERSAL STYLUS】Our stylus pens for touch screens are widely compatible with all touch screens including smartphones, Android tablets, touch screen laptops/PCs. They also work with Apple iPads, iPhones, iPad Pro, iPad Mini, iPad Air, Surface, Chromebooks and other capacitive touch screen devices.
- 【2-in-1 DESIGN】The stylus pen comes with different tips on both ends. One end is the disc tip, which is more accurate and sensitive, suitable for taking notes and drawing. The other end is a durable fibre tip for browsing or scrolling web pages, effectively protecting the screen from fingerprints or smudges.
- 【HIDDEN SPARE TIP】This 3 pack of stylus pens includes 3 additional disc tips and 3 extra fibre tips. Each disc tip is placed inside the stylus body. The spare tip can be taken out by simply rotating the fibre tip end. Convenient for always having a spare pen tip ready to go.
- 【HIGH PRECISION & SENSITIVITY】The stylus pen features a flexible disc tip that fits flexibly on the screen without leaving broken lines. Additionally, the disc tip is transparent, allowing you to get a clearer view when writing or drawing.
Use Markup in Mail, Preview, Notes, or Freeform
- Mail: Attach a photo, tap the attachment, and choose Markup to annotate it before sending. Apple describes this option in its Markup instructions.
- Preview: On supported iPhones running iOS 26, open an image in Preview and use a drawing tool. See Apple’s Preview guide.
- Notes: Use a note when you want an image alongside handwriting or other notes. Apple’s Notes drawing guide covers adding drawings and handwriting.
- Freeform: Use a board when you need to arrange a photo with multiple drawings or other elements. Apple documents drawing, selecting, resizing, and rearranging items in its Freeform guide.
Markup’s entry point and available tools differ across apps. Apple Pencil is not a normal drawing stylus for iPhone; Apple’s Markup instructions cover touch input, while Apple Pencil workflows apply to compatible iPad models.
Keep the original or revert an edit
If preserving an untouched source matters, duplicate the photo before annotating or save an untouched copy first. Photos provides a way to revert edits from the photo’s editing screen—look for Revert or Revert to Original, depending on the interface. Apple explains photo edit recovery in its guide to undoing and reverting edits.
That recovery applies to the edit history in Photos. A separately exported, screenshotted, or shared image is a new copy and may not carry the same history, so do not rely on reverting the library photo to restore a copy that has already been flattened or saved elsewhere.
When to use a drawing app instead
| Need | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A quick arrow, circle, highlight, or label | Photos Markup | It is built into Photos and requires no separate drawing workflow. |
| An annotated image for a conversation | Messages Markup | You can mark up the image in the message composer and send it. |
| A photo arranged with notes or multiple movable elements | Notes or Freeform | These apps are suited to combining an image with handwriting or a larger board of content. |
| Layers, advanced brushes, masks, or artwork | A dedicated drawing app | Photos Markup is a quick annotation tool, not a layer-based illustration workspace. |
For iPhone artwork, Procreate Pocket is the iPhone edition of Procreate; its official help center describes its creative workflow. Adobe describes Fresco as a drawing and painting app. Check current App Store availability, device requirements, and any optional paid features before choosing an app, since listings and plans can change. These tools are unnecessary if all you need is a simple mark on a photo.
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- Open the photo itself in Photos rather than leaving it selected in the grid.
- Tap Edit first; Markup is inside the editing workflow.
- Look for a Markup icon or annotation control, and tap a minimized toolbar if one is shown.
- If the interface differs from the steps, check your iOS version and update if appropriate; older releases may place controls differently.
- Try opening a screenshot preview to see whether Markup is available there.
- In a third-party app, confirm that it supports Apple’s Markup extension; not every app exposes it.
Apple describes Markup as available in supported apps, with entry points that depend on the context. Its iOS 26 guide shows the current tools and controls.
Quick Recap
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