Android users aching to experience the AirPods without switching to an iPhone – your dreams may have come true. A 15-year-old developer, Kavish Devar, from Gurugram, has unleashed LibrePods – an open-source app that unlocks premium AirPods features reserved for iPhone owners by Apple. Although one can pair AirPods to an Android device and use them like a regular pair of Bluetooth earbuds, they miss out on features like ANC tweaks, basic connectivity and battery checks.
Devar’s app tricks Apple’s AirPods into thinking that they’re paired with an iOS device, thus delivering a seamless wireless experience for free. Shared on GitHub, the app has already drawn praise as a “quiet rebellion” against Apple’s walled garden.
Gurugram teenager hacks into Apple AirPods
Devar, a self-taught coding expert currently in his high school years, drew inspiration from past efforts like OpenPods and MaterialPods – apps which offered only rudimentary benefits.
“LibrePods unlocks Apple’s exclusive AirPods features on non-Apple devices. Get access to noise control modes, adaptive transparency, ear detection, hearing aid, customised transparency mode, battery status, and more – all the premium features you paid for but Apple locked to their ecosystem,” reads a note on the project’s GitHub page.
At its core, LibrePods employs a clever “Act as an Apple device” mode to spoof the connection, granting Android users near-identical controls. Best suited for AirPods Pro (2nd and 3rd generations), it works only on rooted devices via the Xposed framework for full access. That said, OnePlus and Oppo phones running on OxygenOS 16 and ColorOS 16 can run the app without the need to root the device.
Older AirPods variants still display precise battery stats but miss the advanced tweaks and features that Apple added later.
The unlocked features allow the AirPods to be used in the same fashion as Apple intended. You can seamlessly toggle between noise cancellation, adaptive audio, and transparency modes with the app. You can rename your buds for easy spotting on a connection list and enable instant auto-play/pause when slipping them on or off. You can also long-press the stem to cycle ANC or summon your voice assistant, while head gestures let you nod to answer calls.
Devar’s app even enables conversational awareness, i.e., auto-lowering volume when you speak. The hearing aid mode, which amplifies sounds for everyday help, also works.
How to get access to LibrePods app on Android
Since this is a developer-grade app, you can download LibrePods APK file from GitHub. LibrePods supports Android and even Linux, with active updates from Devar himself. If you have a OnePlus or Oppo smartphone with the latest versions of Android installed, you can download this app to enjoy Apple’s AirPods with your Android device.
