Why this matters
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The iPad note-taking ecosystem now features a surge of affordable, highly popular, third-party stylus pens (Redbean H1, Yebos, Baseus, etc.) with multiple physical buttons for quick actions.
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Apps like GoodNotes, Procreate, and Flexcil already support these pens’ shortcut buttons, allowing fast switching between pen, eraser, and highlighter without touching the screen.
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These pens are rapidly replacing Apple Pencil in the Korea/Japan markets for students and professionals due to price and functionality.
What users need
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MarginNote should natively recognize and allow mapping (via Settings, or sensible defaults) of physical stylus button input to key actions such as:
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Switch to pen tool
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Switch to eraser
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Switch to highlighter
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Lasso/select/other annotation tools
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For example, the Redbean H1 sends these Bluetooth keyboard commands:
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Button 1:
"bp"→ Pen tool -
Button 2:
"e"→ Eraser -
Button 3:
"ch"→ Highlighter
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By connecting these button events to your existing annotation tool methods (already implemented for Apple Pencil Pro gestures and double-tap), MarginNote could massively improve cross-device workflow and make the app accessible to a broader user base.
Why now?
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Users are swiftly switching to competitors (especially Flexcil and GoodNotes) solely for stylus button support.
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This feature is critical for accessibility, productivity, and retaining the student/power-user community in Asia.
Suggested Implementation
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Add detection for common Bluetooth keycodes and mapping options under Settings > Stylus or Annotation tools
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Provide built-in mappings for popular brands/devices (Redbean H1, Yebos, Baseus, etc.)
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Example: (
"bp","e","ch"triggers — see above) -
If feasible, allow user-customizable mappings for maximum flexibility
Thank you for considering!