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    AirPods libreated from Apple's ecosystem

    (github.com)
    1424 points moonleay | 14 comments | 16 Nov 25 00:01 UTC | HN request time: 1.487s | source | bottom
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    isoprophlex ◴[16 Nov 25 06:17 UTC] No.45943174[source]▶
    From a bit further down the page

    > Bluetooth DID (Device Identification) Hook > Turns out, if you change the manufacturerid to that of Apple, you get access to several special features!

    I hope Apple gets slammed hard by some regulatory body. Apparently there's absolutely zero magic reasons why their airpods are unable to connect to non-Apple devices; pretend you're an iPhone and you're in.

    EDIT: read "unable to connect" => "unable to expose advanced functionality", ofc they connect just fine

    replies(15): >>45943218 #>>45943230 #>>45943299 #>>45943335 #>>45943389 #>>45943452 #>>45943491 #>>45943620 #>>45943639 #>>45943933 #>>45944000 #>>45945287 #>>45945990 #>>45946884 #>>45950063 #
    exitb ◴[16 Nov 25 06:36 UTC] No.45943230[source]▶
    AirPods can connect to any device and perform on par with other Bluetooth headphones. This is about availability of special features which require a dedicated driver non-Apple devices are not expected to have.
    replies(6): >>45943697 #>>45944080 #>>45944871 #>>45946495 #>>45947945 #>>45952870 #
    xps ◴[16 Nov 25 10:44 UTC] No.45944080[source]▶
    They don't report battery status to non-Apple devices. This is a pretty basic feature and without this I wouldn't consider them to perform "on par" with other Bluetooth headphones.
    replies(3): >>45944228 #>>45946874 #>>45946905 #
    1. CharlesW ◴[16 Nov 25 17:41 UTC] No.45946874[source]▶
    You're proving the parent commenter's point that "this is about availability of special features which require a dedicated driver non-Apple devices are not expected to have", because there is no standard way in BLE to report more than one battery value. Wireless earbuds are a device pair, each with its own battery.

    Apple, like every other vendor, does not have a choice but to implement this as a proprietary characteristic. Pre-BLE, other vendors copied Apple's de-facto `HFP AT+IPHONEACCEV` standard for reporting battery levels to the OS.

    replies(1): >>45947181 #
    2. thayne ◴[16 Nov 25 18:21 UTC] No.45947181[source]▶
    > Apple, like every other vendor, does not have a choice but to implement this as a proprietary characteristic. Pre-BLE, other vendors copied Apple's de-facto `HFP

    They could publish the details, and not block other manufacturer details, so that it is easier for other platforms to develop drivers for them. Or develop a new standard that works for their earbuds.

    replies(2): >>45947315 #>>45948308 #
    3. TylerE ◴[16 Nov 25 18:40 UTC] No.45947315[source]▶
    Or… just report whichever one is lower, which is the value 99% of people care about 99% of The time.
    replies(2): >>45949248 #>>45952689 #
    4. kiitos ◴[16 Nov 25 20:54 UTC] No.45948308[source]▶
    why would apple do this? it's all cost and no benefit.

    companies actually can build and ship stuff that isn't inter-operable with the world, this is Actually Good for user experience

    replies(1): >>45948500 #
    5. oblio ◴[16 Nov 25 21:20 UTC] No.45948500{3}[source]▶
    > why would apple do this? it's all cost and no benefit.

    Imagine if every human on the planet would operate like this.

    We'd be back in the Stone Ages.

    > companies actually can build and ship stuff that isn't inter-operable with the world, this is Actually Good for user experience

    ...

    replies(1): >>45953431 #
    6. manmal ◴[16 Nov 25 23:01 UTC] No.45949248{3}[source]▶
    I often use just one of them, and then I want to know that one‘s battery.
    replies(1): >>45949296 #
    7. freedomben ◴[16 Nov 25 23:08 UTC] No.45949296{4}[source]▶
    If you're only using one, it seems fine to have only one battery level report. I don't see the problem
    replies(1): >>45950734 #
    8. smileybarry ◴[17 Nov 25 03:57 UTC] No.45950734{5}[source]▶
    No, in that case they'd want both to be reported separately so they could use the AirPod with the higher charge.
    replies(1): >>45952369 #
    9. exe34 ◴[17 Nov 25 10:28 UTC] No.45952369{6}[source]▶
    whichever one you're using will be reporting its battery level. if you want to know the other one, swap them around.
    10. tass ◴[17 Nov 25 11:28 UTC] No.45952689{3}[source]▶
    I use mine in meetings and often end up in a situation where I need to remove and charge the one which is about to go flat for a few minutes.

    I need to know individual levels to do that

    replies(2): >>45953783 #>>45982686 #
    11. kiitos ◴[17 Nov 25 13:35 UTC] No.45953431{4}[source]▶
    what? stone ages?

    god forbid someone prioritize concrete user experience over abstract interoperability

    12. ◴[17 Nov 25 14:21 UTC] No.45953783{4}[source]▶
    13. dpoloncsak ◴[19 Nov 25 18:04 UTC] No.45982686{4}[source]▶
    Which is solved by the suggestion of 'only reporting the lower of the two', right? The one with more battery isn't about to go flat...
    replies(1): >>46103409 #
    14. tass ◴[01 Dec 25 04:14 UTC] No.46103409{5}[source]▶
    Only if it tells you which one it is