Apple AirPods are mostly used by those with an iPhone to complete that whole ‘end-to-end Apple’ experience the tech giant has been pushing since day dot. But what if you want to use AirPods with your Android? The good news is you can, here’s how.
While the Apple AirPods experience isn’t the same on Android, you still get a decent pair of Bluetooth earbuds out of them. For our demo, we’re connecting the Apple AirPods (3rd generation) to the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
How do I connect AirPods to my Android phone?
- Open the AirPods case to activate pairing
- Navigate to your phone’s Settings and head to the settings for Bluetooth to make sure it’s on
- Then, Connected devices (on your phone it might be called ‘Connections’)
- Tap ‘Pair new device’ (your Android phone will now search for the available Bluetooth devices in range. Press and hold the setup button on the back of the case until you see the status light flash white). Once the AirPods have shown up under ‘Available devices’, tap them.
- You will then need to confirm that you want to pair them, by selecting ‘Pair’
- The AirPods should then be successfully paired with your Android phone
- Tapping on the settings icon (or equivalent) will allow you to see the AirPods connection at a glance.
- Your Android device will now be connected to your AirPods, allowing you to hear everything through the earbuds that you usually would through the phone
Are the controls the same?
Mostly. Volume must be controlled by your Android device and Siri also will not work through your AirPods. But everything else is basically the same as if you were using an iPhone.
AirPods Pro or AirPods (3rd generation)
- To pause audio, press the force sensor on the stem of an AirPod
- To resume playback, press again
- To skip forward, double-press the force sensor
- To skip back, triple-press the force sensor
- With the AirPods Pro, you can activate/de-active noise cancelling or ambient listening mode by pressing and holding the stem
AirPods (1st and 2nd generation)
- Play and pause control by double tapping one of the AirPods
Now you can enjoy AirPods without having to switch from your Android device.