How a free app fixes AirPods Pro issues on Android phones

Apple has always kept AirPods very close to its own devices. When you connect them to an Android phone, they behave like any basic Bluetooth earphones. The sound works, but that is mostly it. You do not get proper controls for noise cancelling, no automatic play and pause, and no clear view of battery levels for each earbud and the case. After a while, it feels less like a limitation and more like a choice.

LibrePods, made by developer Kavish Devar, tries to fix that for Android and even Linux users. Apps like OpenPods already give you a small set of features, but LibrePods goes much deeper. Once LibrePods is running, you get proper control over your AirPods. You can move between noise cancellation, adaptive and transparency modes, and check the exact battery level for each earbud and the case. The app also takes care of auto play and pause when you wear or remove them. On top of that, you can rename your AirPods and decide what a long press on the stem should do.

The app also adds a few things you usually do not expect on Android. It supports head gestures so you can answer calls by nodding instead of reaching for your phone. Conversational awareness can lower the volume when it detects that you are speaking. Hidden settings allow finer control over transparency and let you treat your AirPods as basic hearing aids through accessibility style options. These are the kind of features Apple usually keeps inside its own ecosystem.

To make all this work, LibrePods tells your AirPods that they are actually talking to an Apple device. Inside the app there is an option called Act as an Apple device. Once this is turned on, the earbuds think they are connected to an iPhone, iPad or Mac. This is where the compromise shows up. Your Android phone needs to be rooted, and the developer suggests using the Xposed framework to enable the main features. Without root, most of the useful controls will not show up. Some Oppo and OnePlus phones might get a few basic options without root, but it is still limited.

LibrePods works best with AirPods Pro second and third generation. Older models should still get basics such as battery information and some controls, but not everything. The project is on GitHub, where you can read more about it and download the APK if you are comfortable with sideloading and working on a rooted phone.

So if you use AirPods with an Android phone and always felt you were getting only half the experience, LibrePods is one way to change that. You just need to decide if rooting your phone for better AirPods controls is worth the effort and the risk.