Microsoft Has Finally Enabled the Surface Dial on the Surface Pro 4

The Surface Dial is now compatible with the Surface Pro 4 thanks to a firmware update, allowing users to make adjustments in Photoshop, switch Spotify tracks, and more.

promised support for the Pro 4 in Q4 2016, and we hadn't heard a whole lot since then. It's remained exclusive to new Surface , perhaps in an attempt to ship more units.

It's taken a while, but that's no longer the case. Surface Pro 4 users now have to the same functionality thanks to a simple firmware . For the unfamiliar, the dial is a cylinder Bluetooth device that can sit on the screen and be used to adjust ink color, scroll, control music, and more.

Thanks to the Pro 4's relatively small screen, you aren't going to want it sitting on the glass most of the time, but it's a useful productivity tool all the same.

Limited App Support

Unfortunately, the hasn't seen huge support from developers since its release, and that could be another reason for the delay. supports it in and Adobe recently in Photoshop, but there are still a number of apps that could do with integration.

There's also DataMesh, which was unveiled in February. It lets the HoloLens, Surface Dial, and Surface Pen work together for a robust 3D workflow. Unfortunately, this won't be much use to most users due to the expense of the HoloLens and its experimental nature.

Still, if you're interested in the Dial, you can purchase one from the Microsoft Store. For $100, it may be a hard sell, but you may be able to pick one up cheaper in a sale sometime down the line.