Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad

AirPods are part of Apple’s extensive ecosystem ranging from phones to credit cards and are intended to work the best with other Apple devices.

My work laptop was a Lenovo, and the headphones from work were terrible when on calls with clients.

I decided to find out how to use my AirPods instead, but I had no idea how to do so.

I took some help from a user forum that I frequent, and with their help and some of my own experimentation, I managed to get the earbuds connected.

There is something that you must know when using AirPods with Windows laptops, regardless of the brand, and you’ll find what that is very soon.

To connect your AirPods to your Lenovo laptop, open the charging case and go to your laptop’s Bluetooth settings. Select Add device, then Bluetooth to find your AirPods and connect to them.

Can I Connect AirPods To A Lenovo Laptop?

Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad
Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad

AirPods do work with all Windows laptops, including ones from Lenovo.

Getting them connected is a little bit different from what you usually do to pair a Mac or an iPhone to your AirPods since Windows laptops aren’t a part of Apple’s ecosystem.

AirPods are just Bluetooth earphones, and any laptop with Bluetooth can connect to them.

You will lose some features you would normally get if you pair them with an Apple device, and you’ll be able to see what those features are in the following sections.

Connecting The AirPods To The Lenovo Laptop

Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad
Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad

Getting your AirPods connected to your Lenovo laptop is pretty simple: just follow the steps below for Windows 10.

  1. Open Settings in Windows.
  2. Select Devices > Bluetooth & other devices.
  3. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on on your laptop.
  4. Select Add Bluetooth or other device.
  5. Go to Add a device, then select Bluetooth.
  6. Open the earbud’s case.
  7. Press the button on the back of the case, and don’t let go until the charging light starts flashing white.
  8. Check the laptop to see if it found the earbuds.
  9. Select your AirPods from the list.
  10. Wait until Windows completes the connection, and proceed when it gives you the go-ahead.

The procedure is almost the same in Windows 11 as well; the only difference is that you’ll need to go to Bluetooth & devices in the settings instead.

You can unpair your AirPods whenever you need to by going to Devices in Settings and clicking on your AirPods.

Select Remove device to unpair it.

What You Get When Using AirPods With Windows Laptops

AirPods do the job of being great wireless earbuds, just like they would with an Apple device.

You’ll get the active noise cancellation features available on the AirPods Pro, even on Windows.

The audio controls also work well, with the tap to play and pause music and multiple taps to change tracks, all working on Windows.

Sound quality-wise, they sound the same as they would when used with a Mac or an iPhone.

The same goes for battery, and it yielded similar results in the tests that I conducted with Apple and Windows devices.

You’ll get all of these features, but there are some that you’ll miss out on Windows.

Downsides To Using AirPods With Windows Laptops

Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad
Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad

Automatic ear detection is a big feature that’s missing on AirPods when you connect to a non-Apple device like your Windows laptop.

Because of this, your music won’t pause if you take the earbuds out, which is a feature exclusive to Apple devices.

Windows won’t be able to tell you how much battery is left in the earbuds, either.

There is no way to seamlessly connect all your non-Apple devices to the same AirPods as in the case with Apple devices, where you only need to pair the AirPods with one device, and all other devices associated with that Apple ID gets automatically paired to the earbuds.

You’ll need to manually pair the AirPods to your Windows or Android devices.

Additionally, there is no option to ping your Airpods if they’re dead, since the ‘Find My’ app only works on Apple devices.

Gestures and Siri won’t work either, so if any of the features I have mentioned are important for you, you may find using AirPods with Windows laptops to be a bit lacking.

Alternatives To AirPods That Work Well On Windows

I have some great recommendations if you want a great pair of wireless earbuds that works better with Windows than AirPods.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 is the first recommendation that I can make because they are the definitive AirPods alternative.

They sound great, have great battery life, plus with industry-standard noise cancellation.

I would also recommend the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which has comparable audio performance to the AirPods with ANC and gesture features.

Both these alternatives work great with Windows, and all of their features can be used with your Lenovo or any Windows laptop.

AirPods In The Ecosystem

Apple’s AirPods are designed to offer their full potential when being used with Apple devices because Apple wants to create an ecosystem where you only use Apple products.

Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad
Can you connect airpods to a thinkpad

Features like in-ear detection and Siri are locked to Apple devices so that people will invest more in Apple’s tech and devices.

If you own devices from different manufacturers, I recommend getting wireless earbuds from Sony or Samsung the next time.

But in case you mostly use Apple products, I suggest you keep using your AirPods since changing them out for new ones isn’t worth the loss of features like seamless pairing across devices or Siri support.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to connect AirPods to a PC?

You can connect your AirPods to a PC as long as it has Bluetooth connectivity.

Laptops have this built-in, while only some desktop computers have Bluetooth.

Can I connect my AirPods to my PC without Bluetooth?

Your PC will need Bluetooth to connect to your AirPods.

If your computer doesn’t have Bluetooth built-in, you can get a wireless Bluetooth adapter and plug it into your system.