AndroPods - Airpods on Android

Review by eFreeware

Apple's earbuds work with Android as ordinary Bluetooth headphones, but the small conveniences that make them feel polished on an iPhone stay behind. AndroPods exists to close part of that gap. It is a free Android app from developer Parkhomenko Vitalii that adds the missing pieces: a battery popup styled after Apple's own, a persistent battery readout in the notification shade, and a couple of gesture-driven extras.

The app has been around since early 2020 and has built a substantial following, with more than ten million installs and a 4.1 average across a large number of ratings. That tells me this is a problem plenty of people have wanted solved. It suits anyone who has paired AirPods, AirPods Pro or Powerbeats Pro to an Android phone and misses seeing the charge level at a glance.

What the app adds to a pair of AirPods

The headline feature is the battery level indicator. When the earbuds connect, the app shows a popup window with an animation modeled on the one Apple uses, so the experience feels familiar rather than improvised. The same information can also live in the notification shade, where the developer says the display is configurable, and the notification icon itself can carry a percentage.

Setup is deliberately short. On first launch you grant permission for location detection, which the developer explains is needed for Bluetooth LE discovery, and permission to draw window overlays, which the popup requires. After that you pick the options you want and switch the service on. There is no pairing ritual to repeat.

The app covers AirPod 1, 2 and 3, AirPod Pro, and Powerbeats Pro. For the Pro model you can choose whether the app displays the Pro generation or the earlier ones, and the animation and images change to match. That is a small detail, but it shows the app was built with specific hardware in mind rather than as a generic Bluetooth widget.

Ear detection and taps on the earbuds

Two features sit behind the Pro option. Ear detection suspends playback when you take an earbud out and resumes it when you put it back, which is the behavior people notice most when they move from an iPhone to Android. The second is a voice assistant trigger: tapping the earbuds four times invokes the assistant on your phone.

The developer is upfront about a limit on the assistant trigger. It only works when nothing is playing in the background, which is described as a restriction of Android itself rather than a choice made by the app. I appreciate that being stated plainly instead of left for users to discover. Anyone who often listens to music while wanting to summon an assistant should know about it before deciding how much the feature matters.

These two extras are available through the Pro option. The app is free to download, carries no ads, and offers in-app purchases, so the paid elements are handled through the app rather than through advertising.

Permissions, battery quirks and upkeep

The permission requests are worth understanding before you install. Location access is tied to Bluetooth LE discovery, and the overlay permission is what lets the popup appear over whatever else is on screen. Neither is unusual for this type of utility, but they are the kind of permissions some people prefer to think about first.

On battery readings, the developer notes that refresh problems occasionally occur, or that the level may not update at all. The suggested remedy is to add the app to the whitelist in your phone's battery optimization settings. That is a common ask for background services on Android, and it is a useful thing to know rather than a sign that something is broken.

The app is clearly still being worked on. The most recent update adds Android 16 support, fixes crashes on autostart after Bluetooth is enabled, fixes crashes in the battery popup, and improves background stability. For a utility that depends on staying alive in the background, that last item matters more than it might sound.

An Android-first answer for Apple earbuds

What appeals to me here is the focus. AndroPods keeps its focus narrow. It takes one awkward seam between two ecosystems and smooths it: the fact that AirPods on Android give you sound but not much feedback about it. The battery popup, the notification readout and the ear detection all serve that single idea.

That narrowness is the point, and it also defines the audience. If you own AirPods, AirPods Pro or Powerbeats Pro and use them with an Android phone, this is built for you. If your earbuds are not on the supported list, the app's animations and icons are tied to those specific models.

I would expect the people who get the most from it to be those who keep their earbuds connected through the day and want to know the charge without opening a settings menu. The four-tap assistant shortcut is a bonus for that group, with the background-playback caveat attached.

Is AndroPods worth installing

For a free app with no ads, the value on offer is easy to judge. You get battery reporting in a form that feels native to the earbuds, plus ear detection and an assistant shortcut if you opt into the Pro features. The trade-offs are the two permissions at setup, the background-playback limit on the assistant trigger, and the occasional need to adjust battery optimization settings.

I would suggest it to Android owners using AirPods, AirPods Pro or Powerbeats Pro who want the daily experience to feel less like a compromise. The install count and the steady stream of fixes suggest the app has been refined against real-world use. If your earbuds are on the supported list, it is a sensible addition.

What's new in version 1.5.30

• Android 16 support • Fixed crashes on app autostart after enabling Bluetooth • Fixed crashes in the battery popup • Improved background stability