LibrePods brings full AirPods support to Linux, including battery status, ANC modes, and gesture detection, all without relying on Apple’s ecosystem.

Apple builds excellent products used by hundreds of millions of people, and when it comes to AirPods, one thing has consistently fallen short for Linux users: they’re still hard to use on this platform, with features heavily limited.

So I was genuinely surprised to come across the project, which goes a long way toward fixing that problem. Meet LibrePods – a solution many Linux users have wanted for years.

The project offers one of the most comprehensive AirPods integrations for the Linux desktop (and Android devices) to date. Instead of relying on partial compatibility through generic Bluetooth stacks, the project implements Apple-specific behavior directly, providing Linux users with access to features that are normally unavailable once the earbuds leave macOS or iOS.

https://github.com/kavishdevar/librepods

  • Telorand@reddthat.com
    14·
    3 months ago

    Once again, the community claws back features from the grip of capitalist enshittification.

    Hot take: don’t buy Apple products, specifically because they gatekeep functionality for the crime of…checks notes…using your own hardware on platforms not made by Apple.

    Absolute kudos to the folks who figured out how to free their AirPods, but you shouldn’t have to fully buy into Apple’s ecosystem to get a full featureset, and they won’t care to fix things unless and until their behavior affects their bottom line.

  • LucidNightmare@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    1·
    3 months ago

    Has anyone ever had issues using their AirPods on Linux/Steam Deck? I’ve had the same pair for over 3-4 years now (Gen 1) and they have always worked on Windows/Linux/Steam Deck. Noise cancellation, transparency, all of it.

    I’m just curious to know someone who has!