You no longer need an iPhone to use AirPods features like ear detection, adaptive transparency, and hearing aid functionality. Apple's AirPods provide a basic listening experience when connected to non-Apple devices, but the free LibrePods, developed by Kavish Devar, unlocks features like ear detection, head gestures, and customizations on Android and Linux devices, as reported by Android Authority.
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The LibrePods app was created by reverse engineering the AirPods' proprietary protocols and works by tricking the wireless headphones into thinking they are connected to an Apple device, so they can share device status information that is normally only accessible by Apple's various operating systems.
Other features that LibrePods unlock include conversation awareness that reduces the volume when you talk, switching between noise control modes, accurate battery level information, customizations like accessibility settings and renaming your headphones, hearing aid mode, and multi-device connectivity.
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Devar says that LibrePods should work with all AirPods models, and while you'll get full functionality when using it with AirPods Max and the latest versions of AirPods Pro, the AirPods Pro 3's heart rate tracking isn't supported.
However, installing LibrePods on your Android phone isn't as simple as just installing the app. Devar says that "due to a bug in the Android Bluetooth stack," LibrePods will currently only work on rooted Android phones that have the Xposed.
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If you have a OnePlus or Oppo device running ColorOS or OxygenOS 16, you can install and use LibrePods without root, but you won't have access to some features like adjusting transparency mode until you do.
