Immediately after their appearance, since the end of 2016, AirPods have become one of the most popular headphones in the world. They appeared on the wave of fashion for wireless headsets and have become the most convenient solution for listening to music on iPhone and iPad.
But do AirPods work with Android? Yes, they do! After all, they are simply wireless headphones that can connect to any device that supports Bluetooth, including most Windows tablets and some Smart TVs. But there are some pitfalls to this solution.
How to connect AirPods to Android phone?
It's quite easy to do. Follow these steps:
- On Android, go to Settings > Connections > Bluetooth.
- Place your AirPods in the charging case and make sure it's open.
- Hold down the small button on the back of the charging case for a few seconds. Once the earbuds are ready to connect, a flashing light will light up (either inside the case or on the front, depending on the model).
- The AirPods will appear in the Bluetooth menu. Select them and agree to pair.
That's all you need to do. Now you can use them just like any other Bluetooth headphone.
Disadvantages of use
Although AirPods are compatible with Android, Apple developers created them primarily for their gadgets. It is not surprising that some features will not be available to users of smartphones and tablets running on other platforms.
You've already seen one of the downsides - it's a more complicated connection process. Thanks to a special chip built into the charging case, connecting to an iPhone or iPad is much easier: just open the case and press the "Connect" button. The headphones will then be ready to use with other gadgets linked to your Apple ID.
Here are some examples of other AirPod features that don't work on Android:
- Access to Siri: There is no Siri in Android, so there is no access to this personal cloud assistant either. However, there is another one – Google Assistant. It will work.
- Customizable "double tap" functionality: On iPhone, you can customize what action a double-tap will perform: launching options for the icon, including skipping music tracks, calling up a voice assistant, or playing/pausing. This doesn't work on other platforms. Double-tapping only plays and pauses music. However, if you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can set up the feature on those devices and then use it on your Android device.
- Ear detection sensor: When used with Apple gadgets, AirPods use a special sensor to detect when you take them out of your ears and pause the music until you put them back in.
- Easy way to check battery level: When connecting AirPods on Android, you won't be able to ask Siri about the battery level. It's also problematic to do this on a smartphone. Only some versions of Android display the battery level of connected wireless devices, and even then, you won't be able to see the battery status of the charging case.
Apps for AirPods
While most of the features don't work on Android by default, some options can be accessed through third-party apps.
AirBattery — the most famous of this kind of applications. It is a free program that checks the battery charge of both the headphones and the charging case. It also shows when the wireless headset was connected.
The user is offered (as a “bonus”) an experimental implementation of the Air detection function. However, it only works with Spotify. Upgrading to the Pro version for $ 1 will give you several more features, including notifications about updates. Although the application is not perfect, it makes using Apple headphones on Android much more convenient.
If you don't like it, try installing an analogue - Assistant TriggerThis program has both Ear detection and double-click settings via Google Assistant.