This App Lets You Use All Your AirPods' Features on Any Android

Apple AirPods have always supported Bluetooth, so you can pair them with any phone, tablet, or computer you like-whether or not it's made by Apple-for basic audio listening. Until now, though, getting the full set of features on these earbuds, including head gestures and all the rest, required using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

That's now changed with the arrival of LibrePods, an app that actually launched a couple of years ago but that's now available on the Google Play Store. Previously, to get LibrePods to work, you had to jailbreak your Android device and sideload it. That's no longer necessary-you can just install it like any regular Android app.

According to developer Kavish Devar, Google recently fixed an issue with the Bluetooth stack in Android, and rolled it out with Android 16 QPR3. That means a jailbreak isn't required any longer, though you do need a phone with the Android 16 QPR3 update installed. At the moment, that means a Google Pixel, OnePlus, Oppo, or Realme device. As the Android update makes its way to other phones, including Samsung Galaxy handsets, they'll be able to use LibrePods too.

AirPods connected via Bluetooth on Android. Credit: Lifehacker

Among the AirPods features that LibrePods enables on Android, we've got head gestures (so you can accept or reject calls with a nod or a shake of the head), plus noise control modes (controlling how much external sound leaks), ear detection, more accurate battery level reporting, and conversational awareness (where the AirPods audio dips if you're talking to someone). Note that some of those features, including head gestures and conversational awareness, require a one-off purchase of $4.99 inside the app. You can see the differences between the free and paid-for versions of the app from the main settings screen-tap the cog icon in the top right corner of the app's front page to find it.

How to customize settings in LibrePods

The app should work with all AirPods models, but first you need to connect your earbuds over Bluetooth. To do this on a Pixel phone, for example, head to Settings, then tap Connected devices > Pair new device. You also need to press the pairing button on the AirPods case or double-tap the case, depending on the AirPods you have. Once you've got your AirPods linked to your Android phone over Bluetooth, LibrePods should be able to see them, but the earbuds options will only show up when the AirPods are actively connected-so you may have to take them out of the case.

Finding your way around the app is straightforward. Right from the main screen you can switch between listening modes, if they're available on your AirPods: Transparency (letting external noises in), Active Noise Cancellation (blocking out external noises), and Adaptive (an automatic balance between the other two modes). You're able to customize the action taken with a press and hold action on the left or right AirPod-you can even launch Gemini, if you want-and there's also the option to customize which AirPod microphone is used by default.

Choosing listening modes in LibrePods. Credit: Lifehacker

Tap Head Gestures to enable this feature (if you've paid for it): You can tweak the sensitivity of the gestures needed, based on your preferences, and practice the detection. If you find that you need to use gestures that are aggressive and pronounced to get this to work, for example, you can dial up the sensitivity here. More options can be found by tapping the cog icon in the top right corner of the AirPods info screen: You can enable a home screen widget for battery information, choose the level of volume reduction for conversational awareness, and choose whether or not media playback should automatically connect to your AirPods.