Beats sets the standard for how products can play nice with iOS and Android (2024)

I'll be the first to admit that when Apple acquired Beats about a decade ago, I thought that the brand was doomed. Surely the move was designed to help facilitate Apple's entry into the music streaming and consumer audio markets, right? It's true that Beats Music did serve as the foundation for Apple Music, and the first AirPods were released just a few years after the purchase of Beats. But to my surprise, Beats didn't fade off into the distance. In some ways, the brand is stronger than ever, and it's due to the way Beats audio products work well with just about anything you have.

AirPods Pro 2 work best with iPhone; if you want to use AirPods Pro 2 with an Android phone, the experience will be subpar at best. You can't even rename them without an Apple device. Android brands aren't much better, because similar restrictions govern how well Pixel Buds and Galaxy Buds will work with Apple products. Ecosystem building is a massive part of the tech industry, so companies naturally want one of their products to work best with the others. There's one big exception to this rule, and it's Beats. Despite being owned by Apple, Beats products generally work great with iOS and Android, and more brands should follow Beats' lead.

Many accessories are platform-exclusive

They're just Bluetooth headphones — until they need an update

The problem of truly wireless earbuds giving preferential treatment to their respective device ecosystems is a relatively new one. Of course, when headphones and earbuds used wired connections, it was simple. If a device had a 3.5mm jack, you could connect any pair of headphones to it without issue. You didn't need to worry about compatibility, updates, or anything along those lines. Even in the early days of wireless, any pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds would easily pair to a compatible Bluetooth device. Now that many of the best earbuds have their own chips inside for audio processing and advanced features, that's all changed — audio products from a brand with an ecosystem to sell tend to favor that ecosystem.

To be clear, you can take a pair of AirPods and listen to them on an Android phone. Similarly, you can grab a pair of Pixel Buds and listen to them on an iPhone. You just won't like it. Many features like automatic pairing, spatial audio, automatic switching, and multipoint connectivity often only work with iOS or Android — not both. You might be able to live without those things, but the frustrations won't end there. Imagine opening up a pair of AirPods you own and, instead of connecting to your Android phone, they try to auto-pair with the iPhone someone is using next to you. Or, if you buy Pixel Buds Pro for use with an iPhone, and realize you can't update them without an Android device.

I always recommend people buy the best products, not necessarily the ones from the same company that makes their smartphone. But sticking to that advice is much more difficult when companies don't make their products work with all or most platforms, and it's not just Apple that fails to do so with AirPods. Samsung and Google are examples on the Android side that could do more to make their accessories work with iOS, and choose not to.

Beats is the big in-house exception

Admirable cross-platform usability, considering Apple also makes phones

While there are a handful of audio brands that play nice across ecosystems — the Sonys and Jabras of the world — Beats is unique. Despite parent company Apple making its own phones and cultivating a reputation for platform exclusivity, when you buy a product like the Beats Studio Buds+ or the Powerbeats Pro, you can know that you're getting all of their flagship features, regardless of the device you use. iPhone users can access all the Beats' features right in the Settings app, and Android users can do the same via the Beats app on the Google Play Store. Best of all, Beats will automatically connect to Android phones and prompt you to download the Beats companion app as part of the initial setup process. In other words, the experience is about as good as it can be.

Having the Beats app on Android means you can access all of your headphones' best features, make tweaks to their settings, and apply software updates. It sounds simple, but there is literally no other brand that offers quick pairing on both iOS and Android. In some ways, the Beats app on Android is actually more enjoyable to use than the settings page on iOS. Apple didn't have to make Beats work so well with Android, but they did anyway, and it's a big win for cross-platform users.

As an Android user, you might think these are arbitrary limitations set by phone manufacturers that also make earbuds. However, that isn't entirely the case. Brand-neutral options like Sony, Bose, Jabra, and JBL might offer a complete experience on Android, but not iOS. Spatial Audio, which started out as a nice-to-have feature but is now nearly ubiquitous on all platforms, isn't supported on headphones not made by Apple or Beats. Fast Pair also only works on Android, as you'll have to pair third-party headphones with Apple devices the old-fashioned way.

Android even gets exclusive features

Multipoint connectivity and automatic switching on Beats Studio Pro only work on Android

You might argue that Beats is uniquely positioned to provide this experience, since it is owned by Apple and can provide a level of iOS integration available to no one else. This is partly true. However, Beats does more than other companies to make its products work on a competing platform. For example, Google could offer an iOS app for Pixel Buds that would make it possible to update and modify them on an iPhone — but it doesn't. Beats also brings new features that are exclusive to Android, and that may come as a shock. The Beats Studio Pro has two features, multipoint connectivity and automatic device switching, that only work on Android. We don't see Google and Samsung making iPhone-exclusive features for their earbuds, and that's what makes Beats stand out.

Why aren't more products like this?

Cross-platform compatibility benefits everyone

Beats headphones and earbuds are the standard for cross-platform support, but I hope other brands and companies follow in Beats' footsteps. It probably won't happen, but it would be nice. A world where you could use a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 with an iPhone or an Apple Watch with an Android phone would be a great one. It would give users more choice, increase competition, and could even help brands grow. Perhaps someone tries a Galaxy Watch and loves it, so they buy a Galaxy smartphone next. The possibilities are endless when accessories play nice with iOS and Android.