This 15-year old Indian student created an app that brings AirPods' advanced features to Android

LibrePods is an open-source implementation that recreates Apple’s private AirPods communication protocol on non-Apple devices. Instead of relying on standard Bluetooth profiles—which provide only basic audio functions—LibrePods decodes the proprietary signals AirPods use with iOS devices.

Apple usually restricts features like Active Noise Cancellation control, ear detection, or hearing aid settings to its ecosystem. LibrePods breaks that barrier by interpreting these signals, enabling Android devices to understand and interact with AirPods at a deeper level. The project works with AirPods Pro (2nd and 3rd Gen), AirPods Max, and provides basic functionality for other AirPods models.

How LibrePods works on Android
LibrePods uses a combination of Bluetooth protocol analysis, system-level hooks, and an Android app to simulate Apple’s behaviour. By studying communication patterns between AirPods and macOS/iOS, Devar rebuilt the logic required for Android devices to:
- Read and interpret AirPods status messages
- Send noise control or transparency mode commands
- Detect ear placement events
- Process gestures like head nods
- Display battery information within the app and notifications
- On Android 13 and above, LibrePods hooks into the Bluetooth stack (via Xposed) to enable deeper integration. Users of certain OS versions like ColorOS/OxygenOS 16 can even enable multiple features without root.

Devar also discovered that changing the Bluetooth VendorID to Apple’s (004C) unlocks additional hidden capabilities such as advanced transparency mode and multi-device connectivity.

Features enabled by LibrePods
- LibrePods brings a wide set of Apple-grade features to Android, including:
- Noise control modes: Switch between ANC, transparency, and off modes
- Adaptive transparency with adjustable amplification, tone, and balance
- Conversational awareness that lowers volume when speaking
- Ear detection for auto-play/pause
- Battery level tracking for both earbuds and case
- Head gestures to answer calls
- Hearing-aid controls, including audiogram input and ambient noise reduction
- Multi-device connectivity for seamless switching between two devices
- Renaming AirPods, long-press customization, and accessibility settings

Why this breakthrough matters
Apple’s ecosystem is designed to operate as a closed loop, limiting advanced features to its devices. While Android users have long been able to pair AirPods over Bluetooth, they lack access to features that define the AirPods experience. LibrePods changes that landscape by enabling full functionality without modifying the earbuds.
The project also provides rare public insight into Apple’s private audio protocol, something developers have been attempting to decode for years.

Community reaction and outlook
LibrePods has already attracted over 20,000 GitHub stars, with developers praising the project as a milestone in reverse engineering. Screenshots and demos showcasing noise control tiles, battery notifications, transparency sliders, and hearing-aid controls have driven significant interest from users and contributors worldwide.

As the project continues to grow, LibrePods may reshape cross-platform audio compatibility and inspire more open-source efforts aimed at bridging closed ecosystems. The student behind it, meanwhile, has become an example of how curiosity-driven engineering can create real-world impact—well beyond exam season.