Which features do you lose when using Apple AirPods with a Samsung Galaxy phone?
Apple's AirPods pair with Android devices like any Bluetooth headset, but most of their smart features only work with Apple products. Some can be partly restored with third-party apps.
Apple's AirPods wireless earbuds connect to Samsung Galaxy phones like any other Bluetooth device, but most of their extra capabilities remain available only with an Apple iPhone, iPad or Mac, according to tech outlet Engadget, which compared how they behave on Android and within Apple's ecosystem.
Pairing and missing features
With an iPhone, opening the earbud case is enough to bring up a card showing battery levels. A Galaxy phone shows nothing. On AirPods 4, AirPods 5 or AirPods Pro 3 you must double-tap the front of the case (older models require holding the rear button) until the light flashes white, then connect manually in Bluetooth settings.
Apple says that without Siri you can still listen and talk, but far more is lost. Automatic device switching, ear detection, Spatial Audio with head tracking, the Ear Tip Fit Test, Live Translation, hearing health tools and the heart rate sensor on AirPods Pro 3 all depend on an Apple device. Firmware updates also require one, and the earbuds' settings can only be changed from one. Live Translation needs an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone, meaning an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
What still works
Pressing the stem still plays, pauses and skips tracks, SoundGuys reports, though the controls can't be customised. The site found noise cancellation on AirPods Pro 2 about the same on Android as on iOS. Sound quality is less clear: AirPods use the AAC codec, and older SoundGuys testing found Android phones performed worse with it than an iPhone.
Find My, Apple's device-tracking service, works in a browser, but the earbuds must previously have been paired with an iPhone or iPad. The web version shows a location and can play a sound, though not from the charging case.
Ways to recover features
The free app CAPod adds a battery pop-up and automatic pause based on ear detection. The open-source app LibrePods unlocks noise control modes, Conversation Awareness and head gestures. It initially required a rooted phone, but Google has since fixed the Android bug that made this necessary. Samsung owners would need One UI 9.
For comparison, Samsung's Galaxy Buds 4 Pro cost $249, the same as AirPods Pro 3. Engadget rated them 86, with noise cancellation the main weak point.
