Unbeknownst to most gadget consumers, you can surprisingly use AirPods or AirPods 2 on an Android smartphone but without the same integration as on the iPhone. Using some applications a seamless integration can be achieved on android and a similar if not an optimized experience be achieved by android users.
Airpods first came to the market back in September 2016 and later on this year in March 2019 they got renewed back. The product can be used on android as well despite being a native iPhone product
Pairing Up
iOS
The Apple H1 is the chip behind the Airpods functionality that facilitates the connection of iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac with the Apple Airpod, it manages Bluetooth 5 pairing in an unequivocal way such as a “Siri” request.
On the iPhone, simply open the case which is the docking and charging compact form factor, and a pop-up window appears on the phone.
Android
On your Android device, go to Settings > Connections / Connected Devices > Bluetooth all while ensuring the Bluetooth is on. Penultimate open the AirPods case, tap the white button on the back and hold the case near the Android device. The AirPods should pop up on the onscreen list of connected devices. Lastly, tap on to the AirPods name onscreen and the connection should be engaged.
Once they get associated, they work just as fine except for a few limited functionalities that are primarily for iPhone users, more of this is explained later. AirPods initialize when they are taken out of their charging box. The integrated accelerometer is taken into account and a double tap on one of the two headphones can be made to pause the music and restart it, or to take the call during a call. These functionalities meet the basic integration that should keep you comfortable just as good as an iOS user.
Integrating Google Assistant in place of Siri
The AirPods, on iOS, are integrated into Siri. The interface allows, for each headset, to assign the cause of the playback, or the start of the virtual assistant. You won’t get all the included features that you would with an Apple device while on Android. The battery indicator for the AirPods won’t display on your phone, and Siri won’t be available to answer any of your requests. However, you can download the Assistant Trigger app to display battery life on your phone and to turn off the music when one of them is removed from your ear launch the Google Assistant after double-tapping an earbud.
However, these two features do not work with the second generation at the moment. However, it is still possible to access the battery level of the AirPods by clicking on the notification. Once installed, the application allows you to associate 2 double taps on one of the headphones with Google Assistant’s activation. It is impossible to differentiate between left and right AirPods as on iOS, one for playback, the other for the assistant.
Overall Experience
Some stalls and whims, perhaps a little more frequently than on iOS, probably due to the absence of Apple’s OS optimizations are subject to occur.
Without the little extras of iOS integration, such as the absence of Intelligent pairing and proximity sensors Airpods still behave relatively well on Android devices. The basic functions are provided and the experience is that of standard Bluetooth.
Finally, it saves to say AirPods are at least usable on Android, with most of their features and software solutions more or less usable for what is not natively supported. It would be however dismissive not to mention the fact other brands offer true wireless headphones with Android-specific options like the Galaxy Buds and the Pixel Buds that are well optimized for Android users.
