Will it be possible to preserve the magic Apple if I use branded wireless headphones not with iPhone and MacBook.
The announcement of AirPods was a definite step in the development of wireless headphones. Apple has created a new level of convenience and ease of interaction between a smartphone and headphones. You open the case and the headphones instantly connect to the smartphone, put them back, they charge – this is the so-called magic Apple. I don't and never had a iPhone, MacBook, or even iPad, so I wondered how headphones Apple would work outside the ecosystem – with a smartphone on Android and laptop to Windows. There is a lot to tell here.
AirPods + Android = good
AirPods with iPhone work perfectly – headphones connect instantly, work without interruption, there are gestures. Before buying headphones to connect to Android – a smartphone, you need to be prepared that it will not work as smoothly.
First of all, it should be understood that AirPods outside the ecosystem Apple turn into regular wireless headphones. But they can be connected to any device that supports the transmission of music and sounds via Bluetooth.
They are connected simply – you need to open the lid of the case and press the only button on the case so that the indicator starts blinking white. It remains to find AirPods on the smartphone in the settings Bluetooth and you can use it. It is possible to connect headphones one at a time, using them as a headset or two at the same time.
With Android, you cannot see how much charge is left for the case and the headphones separately. The function of automatically stopping playback by pulling one of the headphones out of the ear does not work yet. Well, for obvious reasons, the launch of Siri does not work. Despite these shortcomings, AirPods remain comfortable headphones.
But gestures work with Android – you can pause by double tapping on the earpiece. Some reviews say that you can still switch tracks, but I only have a pause on Honor 8. In any case, these gestures are a little uncomfortable, because knocking on a small earpiece is difficult and takes some getting used to.
Some of the headphone functions for Android can be added using applications. The most popular in the Play Store is AirBattery, which is what I use. It adds a battery charge display and an automatic pause when you take the earbud out of your ear. There are nuances here. First, you will need to pay 85 rubles to disable ads. Another percentage of the battery is displayed incorrectly, if you connect it several times in a row, then each time you can see a different result – a spread of 10-15%. But for a rough estimate, this is enough. For an automatic pause, the application is kept active in the background, so the smartphone will discharge faster – this function seemed to me unnecessary, so it is disabled.
In general, if you have Android – AirPods can be taken. Not as comfortable as iPhone, but still better than most other wireless headphones.
AirPods + Windows = pain
Before buying AirPods for a computer on Windows 10, it is better to think many times, or even better – to test this bundle. The system as a whole does not play well with wireless headphones, and the situation is even worse with AirPods.
If you connect AirPods only to a laptop on Windows and always use two headphones, then there will be no problems. Except for one thing – they do not work in headset mode, in general, in any way. I came to this conclusion after a long search for information on thematic forums. This is a big disadvantage, because headphones Apple are very convenient to use for conversations, but with Windows it is impossible to do this. But you can even play them, the signal delay is comfortable for this.
Another problem appears when you try to use the headphones one by one. If you sit with one earphone and try to get the second one, then the system falls into a stupor – only one of them will work. Even if you just open the lid of the case, the connection can be cut off for a couple of seconds. Then you have to go into the settings, untie the headphones, put them in the case and take them out again. Horror.
Conclusion
AirPods are comfortable but very expensive headphones. It is pointless to discuss sound quality here, they are definitely not for music lovers. In addition, the shape of the earbuds frightens off, because the surroundings are well heard in them, in some cases this is even a plus.
In general, I was pleased with the headphones, with Android the notorious magic is lost, but they still work well. C Windows is worse, but I have been planning on moving to Mac for a long time, so these are temporary problems.