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This Free App Unlocks AirPods Features on Android Devices
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Why doesn't Apple just create it for Android and charge money for the app?
I think that in the introductory lines of the article, it would be better to link the project page rather than an .apk file!
I'm thinking it's the same reason that the new PowerBeats Pro Fit only got the H1 chip.
ARE WE FINALLY GETTING AIRPODS PRO 1, AIRPODS MAX AND AIRPODS 3 UPDATES TO PATCH THIS?
Ah yes, poor AAPL. Imagine a world where what you bought and paid for isn't artificially locked to an ecosystem, what horror it would bring to the stock price.
Don't forget they had to license Gemini because Apple Intelligence is such a huge failure.
They want to sell iPhones and lock you into their ecosystem. Yes it would be nice to sell 10x (just an example) more AirPods but these smaller/cheaper products are to push you to Apple.
Let's not forget Apple is also a fashion/brand company. If you want to be seen wearing Airpod's/Apple Watch then you need an iPhone. Or maybe you're looking for a TV box so pick up an Apple TV and start building a library on that. When you see someone wearing Airpods you'd think "they have an iPhone". It's there to almost subconsciously let you know what product they have. If you are in a room and 8/10 people are using their iPhone that looks good for Apple. Airpods is an extension of that.
Once they get their hook in you then it makes it harder for you to leave once you've invested in them.
Opening up their products to work with Android/Windows means they have less of control over you.
When I first got my iPhone 12 five years ago I had Sony earphones. They worked perfectly fine and sounded great but the experience was clunky and I needed an app. Eventually I got Airpods because they "just work" with iOS.
When I was wanting to upgrade my phone I considered going back to Android and I could've but I decided not to because I can't live without my Apple Watch. Yeah, Android has smart watches but I don't think they're as good as Apple Watch and anyway I had built up ~5 years worth of purchases in Apple's ecosystem so didn't want to start over again in Google's ecosystem.
Maybe some people feel the same about Airpods. They'd leave iPhone but they know they'd not get the same experience on Android with them. Opening up Airpods to Android means people would be less likely to stay with iPhone when upgrade time comes.
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And the bureaucrats in the EU rejoiced that day, for the People have taken it upon themselves to make every consumer product exactly the same.
..on the contrary, I'd like to be able to mix-and-match, and not be tied to any particular ecosystem. Less monoculture, please.
Ecosystems=monoculture.
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If they have to use lock in to be special, they were never special. Personally, I think Apple was special and doesn’t need the lock in
I think a better argument would be that Apple can barely handle developing quality software for its own platforms so adding more platforms is beyond their scope
Couldn’t have put it better.
Imagine you have a recent pair of AirPods and the Apple Watch.
And your iPhone is getting slow. But those new pixels look tempting.
Sure you could move to android. But both AirPods and the watch would lose significant parts of their functionality.
Better just get a new iPhone instead.
This is exactly why I like what the EU has done so much. They care about user freedom (to do what you want and have more choices) more than corporate freedom (to control consumers and limit our choices) and it makes our lives better
It also creates a more competitive environment that improves products. Apple seems content to rest on its laurels when lock in keeps us locked in
This is great. Free work for one of Apple's highly profitable items, ~60% pure profit.
The cost of AirPods is only justifiable because of their integration with Apple gear.
This is another example of Android users are willing to pay a premium for an inferior experience.
The cost of AirPods is only justifiable because of their integration with Apple gear.
This is another example of Android users are willing to pay a premium for an inferior experience.
If it is reverse engineered, wouldn't the lawyers at Apple normally just send a cease and desist? 🤔
That’s not only not a better argument but it’s patently false.
So I take it you’re not an apple customer.
None sense. Giving away apples intellectual property to third party is theft, not innovation. There is today other smartphone platforms that are “open” and provide what you want.
Ah no thank you. Android is better-suited to earbuds that work well with them like the Sony WF-1000XM5 or the Sony Momentum series.
I don't understand why Apple would want to lock AirPods features anyway. Why not sell more sets by letting people use their full feature set with Androids?
When iPods first came out, you could only sync them with Macs. After they blew up, Apple came to their senses and put out iTunes for Windows and sold that many more iPods as a result. I don't see how this is any different. After all, if you buy a pair of AirPods and find they're great (which they are), wouldn't you be tempted to check out more Apple products? Same with Apple Watch.
When iPods first came out, you could only sync them with Macs. After they blew up, Apple came to their senses and put out iTunes for Windows and sold that many more iPods as a result. I don't see how this is any different. After all, if you buy a pair of AirPods and find they're great (which they are), wouldn't you be tempted to check out more Apple products? Same with Apple Watch.