Posted by Roman Kovalev - 02/05/2020 89721 comments
While AirPods work best when paired with an iPhone, they can also be paired with smartphones running the Android operating system. However, there are several nuances and features of such synchronization, because of which some users are hesitant to purchase a TWS device from Cupertino.
In this article you will learn how to connect Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro wireless headphones to Android smartphones and what applications will help expand the functionality of the device. Armed with this knowledge, you can fully enjoy the experience of using the world's most popular headphones.
Charge level of case and finders
For charge control, I liked the AirDroid application. It is stylized according to Apple design and shows the charge in a pop-up message. And it does NOT show advertising. And it's free. You can configure the pop-up to appear every time the headphones are connected to the phone. This usually happens 2-3 seconds after opening the case.
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Keep in mind that the application shows the charge with an accuracy of 10%. That is, values like 100, 90, 80, and so on will be displayed. This is due to the limited amount of information that AirPods are ready to share with Android smartphones. But even with such accuracy you can understand that it’s time to recharge. Due to the same restrictions, by the way, the charge of the case disappears if both headphones are removed from it.
Android apps for using AirPods
To expand the capabilities of AirPods when connected to a smartphone running Android OS, you should use the following applications:
- AirBattery. Used to demonstrate battery reserves and the ability to pause video playback (YouTube, Netflix) when one of the earbuds is in the ear;
- Assistant Trigger. Suitable for use with all generations of AirPods; can demonstrate the remaining battery reserves, and also work with optical sensors to pause playback when removed from the ears (in the paid version);
- Podroid. Allows you to reassign taps, including changing songs, pause/play and even increasing the volume;
- Droidpods (139 rubles). Displays information about the remaining charge in the notification shade, notifies you when the battery reserves are insufficient and allows you to configure individual functions;
- AirBuds Popup (99 rubles for the full version). Makes it possible to track battery reserves, allows you to assign volume increases to taps, and pauses playback when you remove the earbud from your ear;
- AirDroid. This program displays both the charge level of the case and individual earbuds.
Setting up gestures (double tap)
I will not advise you on paid applications, because there are a lot of negative reviews on them. The developers of such applications clearly write that they will not work with all smartphone models. Chinese manufacturers are considered to be particularly problematic.
No matter how strange it may sound, the most workable option is to find someone you know who has an iPhone and ask him to set up the headphone gestures. The description of some applications says so: you can set your double-tap settings only on an iPhone or MacBook. There's nothing you can do about it.
In case you're a total social phobe, or you don't know anyone with an iPhone in their hands, here are a few apps that can help you set up gestures.
The completely free Podroid app allows you to customize the action of double and quadruple tap on the earpiece. But for some reason it’s the same for both headphones. But with a quadruple tap you can call Google Assistant and command the phone with your voice.
AirPods on Android: how to connect and configure correctly
A lot of time has passed since the release of AirPods, but despite the active use of my iPhone, I didn’t even want to look in their direction. Someone said that they have bad sound and are clearly not worth the money. Okay, calmed down. But at some point I switched from iOS to Android and for some unknown reason I wanted to buy myself AirPods. One problem - I already had a flagship device running Android. The headphones are from Apple, and everything from Apple only works with Apple equipment. This is the cycle.
Nothing. I went and bought it, what could be wrong? Essentially these are ordinary wireless headphones. But problems still appeared. In fact, they are quite easy to solve; you just need to spend a little time. The headphones easily connect to Android and any other device; just press the button on the back of the case and create a pair. At some time I even connected them to the Mi Box television set-top box.
You can forget about the commands “Hey Siri” or “Okay Google”; voice control on Android does not work, but touch control is welcome. Can be configured to skip back a track, play the next track, and play/pause. When talking on the phone, everything is normal (not on all models), the interlocutor clearly hears the speech and the interlocutor is clearly audible.
According to my personal observations, AirPods users are not only ardent Apple fans, but also owners of Android smartphones.
The easiest setup option is to connect to any iOS device and in the Bluetooth settings go to the AirPods settings and reassign commands. The headphones remember them and will work correctly on Android.
Setting up headphones via iOS
But if you don’t have an iPhone or iPad at hand, you need to download the application. Without it, you simply can’t check the charge of your headphones.
If you go to Google Play, then when searching for AirPods you can find a lot of junk (a common thing), but finding something normal is luck. For headphones there is an excellent AirBattery application with built-in advertising, but for a symbolic amount you can remove it.
At the time of writing this text, I accidentally came across the beautiful PodsControl application. It's free and visually pleasing. However, it is not on Google Play and I was unable to pair my phone with it. Constant error with "autostart" enabled. But if you succeed, please post in the comments.
Displaying the charge of AirPods in AirBattery
Using AirBattery, you can view the charge of the headset and activate the AirPod Ear function (automatic pause if you remove one earphone). It can display the charge in the form of a notification at the moment of connection with the headset or when you click on the application icon.
PodsControl can do everything the same, only it has a beautiful design, and also allows you to assign an algorithm for the operation of the sensors, namely, set commands for the headphones.
We've sorted out the applications. Now it's worth adjusting the volume of your AirPods, as they may seem quiet when you first connect them. And indeed it is. Android cuts the volume, which can only be increased by activating developer mode.
Important: AirPods behave disgustingly with Huawei and Honor smartphones. On the first, the normal operation of the microphone is disabled, and on the second, you will have to put up with quiet playback.
For each shell you need to find your own way. In 80% of cases, you need to go to settings, scroll down the page and click on “System”, then find the build number in the “About phone” section and click on the build number seven times. A warning will appear indicating that you are a developer. We return to the main Settings and find the “For Developers” item. We go into it and turn on the “Disable absolute volume level” item. After this, the headphones will play at maximum.
Also, for better listening to your favorite tracks, I recommend turning on the AAC Bluetooth codec. Usually activated in Bluetooth settings.
That's all. There is nothing supernatural or complicated about connecting AirPods to Android. Tell us in the comments about your experience using wireless headphones with Android.
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Connection procedure
Instructions on how to connect airpods to Android wirelessly:
- Place both headphones in the charging case. Close the case lid.
- Open the system settings menu on your phone and turn on Bluetooth data transfer. The AirPods Pro headset works with it by default. Wait until the branded icon appears in the notification shade.
- Open the lid of the case containing the AirPods and hold down the settings button.
- Pairing of Apple's wireless headphones will be possible when the indicator inside the case flashes white. During this time, data transmission via Bluetooth must remain active on the paired smartphone.
- Return to the phone. On the screen, in the list of available devices, you will see the connected headset. Click on the title and confirm pairing.
The process will take a few moments. When it is completed, close the settings window and check if music is transferred to the headphones. In the future, pairing will occur automatically every time you turn on Bluetooth - if the headset is located next to the phone when it is turned on.
AirBattery
Even though AirPods Pro works great with Android, there is no easy way to check the battery life of AirPods Pro (unlike the iPhone, which gives a slick pop-up window of information you open next to it). However, AirBattery does just that. It shows the remaining charge time for AirPods and Case on your phone.
While it's designed to only display the AirPods Pro's battery level, you can also use the AirPods' ear detection feature. It only works with a few apps, such as Facebook and YouTube, and pauses audio when you remove one of the AirPods from your ear. AirBattery has several limitations, for example, to accurately check the battery level in the case, there must be at least one earbud in the case.
Service center
This is the most extreme case. And it will only work if you have not found any mechanical damage, and the headphones have not been in contact with water. In this situation, you will most likely simply replace the device with a new one. If technicians find damage, then it will cost money to fix the device.
I'm done with this overpriced thing.
The hysteria around AirPods passed me by for a very long time: I didn’t buy these headphones because I was afraid of losing them. But then my second BeatsX in six months broke, and I decided: that’s it, no more Beats. Considering that there are very few headsets on the market with a Lightning plug, and I’m too lazy for two cables, I had to take AirPods 2. How did I reason? I just trusted the popularity of these headphones: I have a lot of friends who call the “pods” almost the best device in Apple history.
The funny thing is that a couple of years ago I bought an Apple Watch with exactly the same motivation: people enjoyed notifications and closed fitness rings, and I was perplexed how it was possible to charge the watch once a day. As a result, I wore them for a couple of weeks, and then threw them on the table and scored them. Obviously, the same thing will happen with AirPods.
Features of AirPods
AirPods Pro look similar to the original AirPods, but have a wider front to accommodate silicone tips for comfort and noise cancellation. The tips come in three sizes to fit different ears.
AirPods Pro wireless headphones feature a new, innovative force sensor on each stem that responds to gestures that can be used to play/pause and skip music, answer and end phone calls, and switch between active noise-canceling and transparency modes.
How do I know if Spatial Audio is enabled on my device?
Go to your control panel and press and hold volume to find out.
You can also tell if the feature is on by turning your head while watching a scene with a lot of dialogue - the sound will seem to be coming from the TV.
You can share the track you're listening to with someone near you who also has AirPods, AirPod Pro, or Beats
photo: support.apple.com
- While using AirPods or Beats headphones;
- On your iPhone, tap on the Lock screen, Control Center, or Now Playing screen in the app you're playing audio from;
- Tap the Share Audio option (under the headphones' name);
- Bring your iPhone to your friend's iPhone, iPad or iPod touch;
- Tap Share Audio on your iPhone;
- Ask a friend to tap the Connect option. on your device.
Great for traveling when you want to watch something on your phone or iPad with a travel companion.
You can share audio if your friend is currently using AirPods or Beats headphones connected to their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
How to improve sound quality on AirPods?
7 Ways to Improve AirPods Pro Sound Quality
- Update your AirPods
.
The first way to improve the sound
on
your AirPods
Pro is to make sure they are updated. ... - Turn off ANC. ...
- Take an ear tip fit test. ...
- Change the equalizer. ...
- Increase your sound quality
. ... - Charge your AirPods
. ... - Buy memory foam ear tips.
Applications to expand functionality
Assistant Trigger - solution to all problems and shortcomings
Thanks to the Assistant Trigger application, Android users have the opportunity to get rid of the last three shortcomings from the list above, as well as reassign gestures - without it, only those that come “out of the box” work. You can set the double-click setting on each earbud individually, which slightly expands the range of actions: for example, on the left one you can set the track to rewind to the previous one, and on the right one you can make it switch to the next file in the playlist.
The free version of the program contains the necessary functionality, but to get rid of advertising you will have to pay 1 euro one-time, which can be done through bank cards, mobile commerce, PayPal account or Google Pay service. The software was tested by 6,000 users and received high marks due to its support for AirPods of the first and second generations, Pro version, and PowerBeats.
Other programs
Unlike Assistant Trigger, AirBattery has a wider number of supported devices: in addition to AirPods and PowerBeats, through this program you can manage settings and monitor the status of more Beats headphones, the rights to which are also owned by Apple. After purchasing the paid version, additional functions will be revealed, such as tracking the charge through the notification panel, without having to open the application every time.
Another program, Podroid, differs from the previous two in more detailed settings of gestures: it is possible to force the headphones to increase or decrease the sound volume with a double or quadruple tap. The window for displaying the current charge can be customized - dark, light, pink, gold, silver (iPhone 5 style) themes are available.
AirDroid will be appreciated by people who want to save space in the internal storage of their smartphone. A simple 5 megabyte program was created to transmit information about the charge of the headphones and supports dark and white themes.
AirBuds Popup
AirBuds Popup is like most other apps, it shows the battery status in the status bar or as a notification. But the notification feature is only available on the premium version of AirBuds. It also has the ability to detect whether AirPods are in your ears or not. Other features like “read caller name” etc. available only in the premium version, which costs only $1.5. AirBuds Popup requires permission to access notifications and location in order to function properly.
How to unlink AirPods from Android
AirPods, if the connection is unexpectedly interrupted, are constantly trying to pair with the last device. Once headphones are paired with one device, they cannot be used on another. A simple way is to turn off the Bluetooth module and wait until it enters the search mode and the corresponding LED signal on the case is given. If for some reason you are unable to use this method, do the following:
- Go to the Settings app;
- In the “Wireless Networks” section, find “Bluetooth”, tap on the name;
- The “Connected Devices” tab will contain currently paired devices. Opposite AirPods, click on the button with the image of a gear;
- Select “Cancel pairing”, wait a couple of seconds.
What to do if the headphones are not original, “singed”?
A copy of wireless AirPods
A copy of wireless AirPods is noticeably inferior to the original in terms of sound quality and base. But owners of smartphones with the Android platform can easily combine such a headset with their device. The pairing process is also carried out using the Bluetooth module.
But there is a significant difference: if to connect the original headphones you need to place them in the case and keep it open, then to combine the copy you must first remove the headset and close the case.
Important! Non-original AirPods have a limited set of built-in functions that cannot be expanded by installing external applications.
