PairFree

PairFree aims to be one app for the settings of nearly any earbuds and headphones. It replaces heavy, brand-specific apps with a light, fast one that talks to your earbuds directly over Bluetooth.

Why PairFree:

• No account: nothing to sign up for or log in to

• No internet: the app has no internet permission, so it cannot go online

• Nothing leaves your phone unless you share it yourself, such as a device report or an equalizer profile. No ads, no analytics, no crash reports, no cloud backup of your settings

• One app to rule them all: the same screens for every brand, instead of one vendor app each

• Few permissions: Bluetooth, for earbuds you have already paired, and notifications for the optional status notification. For JBL models alone, finding nearby devices, asked for only when you open one and never used for your location. No location, no contacts

• Small and quick: about 3 MB, with no login and no server to wait for

• Open source (GPL-3.0), with every protocol documented and tested in its repository

• Your equalizer as files: save your own curves, and export and share them

Supported brands:

• SOUNDPEATS: tried on the H3 and Air5 Pro+. Other models use the same protocol and should work

• Soundcore (Anker): 39 models, tried on the Space A40. Built on the open-source OpenSCQ30

• Samsung Galaxy Buds: 16 models, from the 2019 Buds to the Buds4 Pro, not yet tried on real earbuds. Built on the open-source GalaxyBudsClient and Samsung's own plugin

• Sony: 24 models, from the WH-1000XM2 to the WH-1000XM6, WF-1000XM5 and LinkBuds, not yet tried on real headphones. Written from Sony's own app and checked against the open-source Gadgetbridge

• Bose: 22 models, from the QC35 to the QC Ultra 2 headphones and earbuds, not yet tried with PairFree. Written from Bose's own app and the open-source bosectl. PairFree never signs in to Bose's cloud, so anything that needs it stays out of reach

• AirPods and Beats on Apple's chips: 30 models, not yet tried with PairFree. Ported from the open-source LibrePods. Android 17 is needed, or a Pixel on Android 16 QPR3, or a OnePlus, OPPO or realme phone on Android 16

• JBL: 83 models, from the Tune 520BT to the Live Buds 4, not yet tried with PairFree. Written from JBL's own app and checked against the open-source JblTray

What it controls, on the models that have each:

• Battery for each earbud and the case