AirPods connect to Samsung Galaxy phones, but settings, ear detection, firmware updates and Find My all depend on an Apple device. Here is what you give up.
AirPods will pair with a Samsung Galaxy phone, but most of what makes them special stays behind on the iPhone. You get a good pair of Bluetooth earbuds. You do not get the extras Apple built around them, according to a new Engadget breakdown.
Open an AirPods case next to an iPhone and a card pops up with battery levels. Next to a Galaxy, nothing happens. You have to double-tap the front of the case on AirPods 4, AirPods 5 or AirPods Pro 3, or hold the back button on older models, until the light flashes white. Then you connect by hand in Bluetooth settings.
Settings can only be changed from an Apple device. Without one, you are stuck with the defaults or the last settings used. Firmware updates normally arrive through an iPhone, iPad or Mac. If you have none, Apple suggests booking an appointment at an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Find My is also limited. The web version at iCloud.com/find only works if the AirPods were first paired with an iPhone or iPad. Even then, it can show a location and play a sound, but it cannot ring the charging case.
Pressing the stem still plays, pauses and skips tracks, according to SoundGuys, though you cannot customize it. SoundGuys also found noise cancellation on AirPods Pro 2 is about the same on Android as on iOS. Sound quality is less certain. Older SoundGuys testing found Android phones did worse than an iPhone with the AAC format AirPods use.
Free apps can bring some features back. CAPod adds a battery pop-up and automatic play and pause. LibrePods, an open-source app, unlocks noise control modes, Conversation Awareness, head gestures and the long-press setting. Samsung owners would need One UI 9, which began rolling out to the Galaxy S26 series in September.
Price matters here. AirPods Pro 3 cost $249, the same as Samsung's Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Those add features such as Auto Switch between Samsung devices and 360 Audio. Engadget gave them an 86 in its review, with noise cancellation the main weak spot.
If you use a Galaxy phone, compare earbuds made for it before paying $249 for AirPods Pro 3 and using only a fraction of what they do.
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