Fancy a pair of Apple AirPods but don’t have an iPhone? Don’t worry, you can pair up AirPods with Android devices − it just takes a couple of extra steps.
Despite what Apple wants you to believe, you don’t need to have your entire house kitted out in the company’s gear to use one (or two) of its devices. In fact, pairing the sleek AirPods with a little Android number is fairly straightforward.
Related: Read our Apple AirPods review
You might miss out on a couple of Apple-specific features, such as the handy Siri assistant and some customisation features, but that’s probably better than having to fork out for an entirely new iPhone.
You also won’t be able to monitor the battery level on your Android, but as long as you regularly charge up and carry the AirPod case around, you should still have 24 hours-worth of juice wherever you go.
How to use Airpods on Android devices
First, check that Bluetooth has been enabled on your Android phone or tablet. Open up settings > connected devices > Bluetooth to make sure that it’s activated.
Next, open up your AirPods case and press the rear button, which should fire up the device’s pairing process.
Soon after, you should see the AirPods appear on your list of Bluetooth devices. Tap the entry to link your pods with your phone or tablet.
After this, you should be all set and able to use the AirPods as normal, albeit with a slightly pared back basic set of functions.
You’ll find that you can no longer customise the double-tap function, but that feature should now work as a handy pause button for when you’re on the go.
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Related: Apple AirPods vs AirPods Pro
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
