Are apple wireless headphones compatible with all phones?

This article will discuss choosing wireless headphones for iPhone. If you have an iPhone (no matter what version), and you decide to purchase wireless Bluetooth headphones, then I can imagine that you have a number of questions: “which headphones are suitable for my iPhone,” “does the iPhone work with other headphones, what should you pay attention to?” when choosing”, “which headphones work best with iPhone”, etc. I will try to answer all these questions today. If you don’t find the information you need in this article, then ask in the comments. I answer everyone and very quickly.

Perhaps you were looking for information on connecting wired headphones, and accidentally came to this page. I’ll devote one paragraph to this topic and move on to the main part. In the case of wired headphones, everything is simple. Before the iPhone 6s version (including it), these smartphones had the familiar 3.5 mm Jack connector. You can directly connect almost any wired headphones to them. Starting with the iPhone 7, the 3.5 mm jack was removed, and you can only connect a headphone through the Lightning port. There are original EarPods with a Lightning connector. For some time, smartphones also included a Lightning to Jack 3.5 mm adapter. I had this included with my iPhone 10. To connect to iPhone 7 and newer versions of headphones with a 3.5 mm jack, you need a Lightning to Jack 3.5 mm adapter. If you don't have it, you can buy it without any problems. There are both original and non-original options.

The abandonment of the 3.5 mm jack in iPhones was made precisely in favor of wireless headphones, because with the release of the iPhone 7, AirPods were also introduced - wireless TWS headphones from Apple. And starting from September 2018, the company stopped providing all iPhones with an adapter for connecting regular headphones with a 3.5 mm jack. It can be purchased separately.

How to connect Airpods to Android smartphone

To establish pairing between Apple wireless headphones and an Android smartphone, you must follow the following instructions:

• Open the case with the headphones.
• Press the button located on the back of the case.
• The indicator inside the case (between the sockets) should blink white. This means that the device is ready to establish a new connection.
• Open the smartphone menu, the Bluetooth module must be activated. From the devices offered for connection, select the one you need.

All. The connection is established.

How to clean your headphones

Spending more than 10,000 rubles on headphones is not such an easy decision. And if you do purchase AirPods, don’t forget to take care of them, and then you won’t have to change them along with a new iPhone upgrade. After all, in the end you won’t just store them in a case. So here are some tips on how to clean your AirPods.

Dirt, dust, lint, earwax, and more easily find their way onto the glossy white surface of the AirPods, requiring you to clean your earbuds from time to time. It's best to do this consistently to prevent dirt from accumulating.

• Microfiber. Buy a microfiber cloth and carry it with you at all times and wipe down your AirPods and their case every few days;
• Water. The headphones are made of plastic and glue, they are not waterproof or waterproof, but they are made very strongly. There are many reviews that these headphones remained functional even after being thrown into the washing machine. So don't worry if some water gets on them;
• Contrary to popular belief, hand sanitizer and similar cleaning solutions are bad for electronics. Don't use them for your AirPods. You risk damaging the surface of the plastic, or even the internal electronics. Instead, a little water and a microfiber cloth will help you remove dirt or grease from the surface;
• Cotton swab. While everyone would like their headphones to be one seamless piece of plastic, they aren't. And small cracks are easily filled with dust and dirt. In such places, the fabric will not help you. A cotton swab will be very convenient. It is also easy to remove earwax from the speaker grille;
• Finally, if you find a particularly stubborn stain, use an eraser.

This way you can clean your headphones from dirt, and to preserve their appearance for a long time, don’t be lazy and follow the tips below.

• Polish your Airpods with a microfiber cloth from time to time to keep the color vibrant and the surface shiny;
• Don't forget about ear hygiene;
• If you do not use headphones, store them in a special case;
• Try to make sure that only you use your headphones. This advice also applies to the issue of hygiene.

What functions will not work:

• There will be no Apple voice assistant – Siri. It simply doesn't exist on Android. This means that you won’t be able to control it with your voice.
• The headset charge level will not be displayed on the phone screen.
• Playback will not stop automatically if you remove the earphone from your ear.
• You cannot set values ​​for double tap. On iOS devices, you can set the double-tap function for each headphone separately. This feature is not available on Android.

Are apple wireless headphones compatible with all phones?

Review

Wireless.
Easily. Magic. AirPods will forever change the way you use headphones. Whenever you pull your AirPods out of the charging case, they instantly turn on and connect to your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac.1 Audio plays automatically as soon as you put them in your ears and pauses when you pick them up. To adjust the volume, change a song, make a call, or even get directions, simply double-tap to activate Siri.

Powered by Apple's custom B1 chip, AirPods use optical sensors and a motion accelerometer to detect when they're in your ears. Whether you're using both AirPods or just one, the B1 chip automatically routes audio and turns on the microphone. And when you're on a phone call or talking to Siri, an additional accelerometer works with the microphones' polar pattern to filter out background noise and focus on the sound of your voice. Because the ultra-low power B1 chip manages the same battery life, AirPods deliver an incredible 5 hours of music listening on a single charge.2 And they're made to keep up with you, thanks to a charging case that contains several extra charges for more than 24 hours. listening time.3 Need fast charging? Just 15 minutes per case gives you 3 hours of listening time.4

Basic moments

• Designed by Apple
• Automatic, connects automatically
• One-Touch Settings for All Your Apple Devices1
• Quick access to Siri with double tap
• More than 24-hour battery life with charging case2
• Charges quickly in case
• Rich, high quality sound and voice
• Seamlessly switch between devices

What is in the box

• AirPods
• Charging Case
• Lightning to USB cable

Availability

• Video listen audio8
• Auxiliary Control Switch

Weight

• AirPods (each): 0.14 oz (4 g)
• Charging case: 1.34 oz (38 g)

Dimensions

• AirPods (each): 0.65 by 0.71 by 1.59 inches (16.5 by 18.0 by 40.5 mm)
• Charging case: 1.74 by 0.84 by 2.11 inches (44.3 by 21.3 by 53.5 mm)

Connections

• AirPods: Bluetooth
• Charging case: Lightning connector

AirPods sensors (each):

• Dual polar pattern microphones
• Dual optical sensors
• Accelerometer motion detection
• Speech-detect accelerometer

Power and battery

• AirPods with charging case: more than 24 hours of listening time, 3 to 11 hours of talk time6
• AirPods (without recharging): up to 5 hours listening time, 2 to 2 hours talk time5
• 15 minutes in case equals 3 hours listening time4 or more hours talk time7

System requirements

• for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models with iOS 10 or later
• Apple watch models with watchOS 3 or later
• Mac models running macOS Sierra or later

Compatibility

iPhone models

• iPhone xs
• iPhone XS Max
• for iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• for iPhone 8
• for iPhone 8 Plus
• for iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 plus
• for iPhone 6c
• for iPhone 6s plus
• for iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 plus
• for iPhone SE
• iPhone 5s
• for iPhone 5c
• for iPhone 5

iPad models

• for iPad Pro 11-inch
• for iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
• iPad pro 10.5-inch
• for iPad (6th generation)
• iPad mini 4
• for iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
• for iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
• for iPad Pro 9.7-inch
• for iPad (5th generation)
• iPad mini 3
• iPad mini 2
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Air

Mac models

• 12" MacBook
• 13-inch MacBook Air with Retina display
• 13-inch MacBook Air
• 11-inch MacBook Air
• 13-inch MacBook Pro with - 3 Thunderbolts (USB-C)
• 13-inch MacBook Pro with
• 15-inch MacBook Pro with - 3 Thunderbolts (USB-C)
• 15" MacBook Pro with
• 21.5-inch iMac with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
• 21.5-inch iMac with Thunderbolt 2
• 27-inch iMac with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
• 27-inch iMac with Thunderbolt 2
• iMac Pro
• Mac Pro
• Mac mini - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
• Mac mini

Watch Models

• Episode 4
• Episode 3
• Episode 2
• Episode 1
• 1st generation

Apple TV models

• Apple TV 4K
• Apple TV HD

iPod models

• for iPod touch (6th generation)

1. Requires an iCloud account and macOS Sierra, iOS 10, or watchOS 3.
2. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2016 using preproduction AirPods units and software interacting with preproduction iPhone 7 units and software. The playlist contained 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (in AAC 256 Kbps encoding). The volume was set to 50%. Testing involved completely draining the AirPods' battery while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playing. Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions and many other factors.
3. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2016 using preproduction AirPods units and software interacting with preproduction iPhone 7 units and software. The playlist contained 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (in AAC 256 Kbps encoding). The volume was set to 50%. Testing involved completely draining the AirPods' battery while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playing. The drained AirPods were charged for 30 minutes, then playback continued until the first AirPod stopped playback. This cycle repeats until the AirPods and charger are completely discharged. Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions and many other factors.
4. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2016 using preproduction AirPods units and software interacting with preproduction iPhone 7 units and software. The playlist contained 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (in AAC 256 Kbps encoding). The volume was set to 50%. The 15-minute test was conducted with drained AirPods that were charged for 15 minutes, then audio played until the first AirPod stopped playing. Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions and many other factors.
5. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2016 using preproduction AirPods units and software interacting with preproduction iPhone 7 units and software. The volume was set to 50%. The testing involved completely draining the AirPods battery with a cell phone call until the first AirPod stopped playing sound when making a call. Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions and many other factors.
6. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2016 using preproduction AirPods units and software interacting with preproduction iPhone 7 units and software. The volume was set to 50%. The testing involved completely draining the AirPods battery with a cell phone call until the first AirPod stopped playing sound when making a call. The drained AirPods were charged for 30 minutes, then the cell phone call continued until the first AirPod stopped playing sound when calling. This cycle repeats until the AirPods and charger are completely discharged. Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions and many other factors.
7. Testing conducted by Apple in August 2016 using preproduction AirPods units and software interacting with preproduction iPhone 7 units and software. The volume was set to 50%. The 15-minute test was conducted with drained AirPods that were charged for 15 minutes, then the cell phone was charged until the first AirPod stopped playing sound when making a call. Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions and many other factors.
8. Requires iOS 12 or later.

Supported technologies

◆ All three headsets support voice activation of the assistant using the phrase “Hey Siri” and can automatically switch between different devices on the same Apple ID account.

AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro headphones additionally support: adaptive equalizer, spatial audio with head position fixation, wide dynamic range.

◆ Only AirPods Pro additionally include: active noise cancellation, transparency mode, pressure equalization system and “Communication” mode (the last feature was added in iOS 15 and is an option for people with disabilities).

As you can see, the new generation of AirPods 3 is a step above the old AirPods and supports several progressive features from the Pro line. At the same time, it does not have noise reduction and pressure equalization functions, which is logical for in-ear headphones.

Can you swim in them?

I saw an interesting question related to the use of Apple AirPods Pro headphones: what happens if you use them in the pool? Let's start with the fact that the headphones received IPX4 protection against sweat and splashes. That is, during training, jogging or walking in light rain, nothing will happen to them.

In theory, you can swim leisurely in the pool with headphones on, but... But how do you imagine this? Let's say you go down a ladder into the water, then you reach out to the case with AirPods Pro that lies nearby, open it... And then someone swims by and hits you with a wave. Or he jumps and throws water on him too. Plus, do not forget that the headphones have a slippery body, and holding them with wet fingers will not be so easy.

In short, purely theoretically, you can use headphones in the pool - for example, if you have your own country house or penthouse, where you can relax in peace and quiet. Although somehow there are too many “buts”.

Operational problems - why AirPods do not want to connect to the phone correctly

The causes of headphone failures can be found using the server error log. Here you can find a specific problem.

Headphones play quietly

Analytics of all kinds of errors is available on the support portal for a specific account. You can study and work through them by HTTP code, URL, IP address.

Additionally, Cloudflare data centers can be used to diagnose and resolve the issue.

To view the reasons for silent playback, you need to do the following:

1. Go to the Cloudflare portal using the instructions for submitting a customer support ticket.
2. Select the “Error Analysis” section.
3. Click on “Visit Error Analysis”.
4. Then here you need to enter data from your domain to process the information.
5. A time-stamped error graph will appear on the screen.
6. Under the graph in a special table, you need to select the “status code” position. You can click here to get all the error details. The service also provides ways to solve the problem.

Please remember that low sound cannot be fixed on all mobile devices.

And it also happens that the headphones are connected, but they play too quietly. In this case, you can try to solve the problem by going to the Cloudflare portal, where there is a special section “Error Analysis”

Other differences

◆ The AirPods 2 package includes a Lightning/USB‑A cable, but in the box with the other two headsets you will find a Lightning/USB‑C “lane”.

◆The AirPods 2 charging case does not officially support MagSafe charging.

◆ To work with AirPods 2, you can use a smartphone starting with the iPhone 5s model, but for the other two headsets you will need at least a first-generation iPhone SE or iPhone 6s.

Any of the headsets, of course, can be connected to older devices, but you won’t get most of the software features. Apple recommends using the gadget with smartphones that are updated to at least iOS 13.

Filling, sensors and sensors

Headsets of all generations are jam-packed with technological gadgets and have a large range of all kinds of sensors. They are needed to activate a number of software features, smartly turn music on and off, switch tracks and other actions.

◆ AirPods 2 are equipped with the following sensors: dual optical sensor, accelerometer, voice activity sensor.

This minimal set allows you to turn auto-pause on and off, select the appropriate microphone for a conversation, and record the movement of the headset.

◆ AirPods 3 are equipped with the following sensors: skin contact sensor, accelerometer, voice activity sensor, pressure sensor.

The well-proven optical sensor in the new model was replaced with a so-called skin contact sensor. The sensor is necessary to recognize the earphone in the ear; in a detailed review we will try to find the differences between the new module and the old one.

◆ AirPods Pro are equipped with the following sensors: dual optical sensor, accelerometer, voice activity sensor, pressure sensor.

“Proshki” have a similar set of sensors to the second generation AirPods with the addition of a pressure sensor to control the headset.

As you can see, the new headset is slightly different from its two predecessors in the presence of a new position detection sensor in the ear, but otherwise repeats its older brothers. This includes both the motion and voice sensors from the earliest AirPods 2, as well as the pressure sensor from the AirPods Pro.

All three generations of headphones work on the well-proven H1 . This means that there will be no differences in the operation of Apple ecosystem features between devices. All embedded software algorithms for switching between devices will operate identically on all described generations of AirPods.

Likewise, all devices are equipped with a Bluetooth 5.0 .

Each earphone of all AirPods models has dual directional microphones to capture the user's speech. AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro models are additionally equipped with an inward-facing microphone.

The two headsets AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro are waterproof according to the IPX4 .

Applications for AirPods

While most of the features don't work on Android by default, you can take advantage of some options using third-party apps.

AirBattery is the most famous of these applications. This is a free program that checks the battery charge of both the headphones and the charging case. It also shows when the wireless headset was connected.

The user is offered (as a “bonus”) an experimental implementation of the Air detection function. However, it only works with Spotify. Upgrading to the Pro version for $1 will give you a few more features, including update notifications. The app may not be perfect, but it makes using Apple headphones on Android much more convenient.

If you don’t like it, then try installing an analogue – Assistant Trigger. This program has both Ear detection and double-click settings through the Google Assistant.