Last updated on May 30, 2015

Apart from all the new features coming up with Android M later this year, we’re also going to get native support for wireless styluses, which have typically been used by Windows users.

Support for Bluetooth styluses will now come built-in, and according to an API overview on the Android developers site, “This (Android M) preview provides improved support for user input using a Bluetooth stylus. Users can pair and connect a compatible Bluetooth stylus with their phone or tablet. While connected, position information from the touch screen is fused with pressure and button information from the stylus to provide a greater range of expression than with the touch screen alone. Your app can listen for stylus button presses and perform secondary actions…”

Capacitive styluses were never too accurate, and Samsung made headway with their Galaxy Note series, featuring the S-pen styluses made by Wacom. Now with support for wireless Bluetooth styluses, Android devices should see a wider range of options from makers such as Wacom and Adobe.

However, more high-end styluses will probably require apps for additional functionality, but with the built-in Android M support, developers can add stylus functionality to their apps for improved usability.

The question that remains however is whether styluses are actually going to be adopted widely by mobile users. Even with Samsung’s Note series, most users never used their styluses on a daily basis. Native support can however make the case for dedicated stylus featuring phones like the Note series weaker.

Still, the need for accurate, pressure sensitive styli is something most felt by designers and artists, and using mobile devices for actual professional work frequently doesn’t seem like a very likely scenario at the moment.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this as well, so feel free to comment below and give us your feedback.