Librepods-WindowsBridge

This fork only contains files for a windows "bridge" of librepods

Thanks to:

• The Librepods project (https://github.com/kavishdevar/librepods)
• Tblob18 (https://github.com/Tblob18/librepods-windows)

This fork successfully allows for airpods to work on windows with the ability to change listening modes and more.

Recomended for advanced/technical users only. A custom driver is utilized that has to be used in Windows Test mode. This impacts the security of your system and should not be done lightly.

How does it work?

LibrePods communicates with AirPods over the Bluetooth L2CAP protocol, but Windows blocks user-mode L2CAP, which is why a normal build can't connect. To work around this, this fork ships its own l2cap-windowsdriver (a retargeted fork of Microsoft's bthecho sample) to talk to the AirPods at the kernel level. It's signed with the project's own test-signing certificate and installed automatically by the setup below.

Current Features

• See Airpod Battery and Connection Status
• Display when Airpod(s) is/are out of ear
• Change between listening modes (ANC-Transparency-Adaptive)
• Conversation Awareness
• Pause currently playing audio when airpod is removed. (can be turned off)
• Notification fly up when airpods connected.

Screenshots

Steps to install

Caution

This project is still very much in beta, don't expect a smooth experience.

1. Enable Windows Test Mode (Secure Boot must be off first):

   bcdedit /set testsigning on

   Reboot. You should see a "Test Mode" watermark in the bottom-right of the desktop.

2. Download the Setup.exe from releases and run it. It bundles and auto-installs the project's own signed l2cap-windowsdriver

3. Turn Bluetooth Off and On

4. Pair your AirPods in Windows Bluetooth settings if you haven't already.

Warning

What the installer changes on your system. Two things worth understanding before you agree to them:

• Test Mode weakens driver security machine-wide. With testsigning on, Windows will load any test-signed kernel driver, not just this one. Turn it back off with bcdedit /set testsigning off if you stop using this app.
• The installer adds this project's certificate to your Trusted Root store. That means anything signed with our key is trusted as code on your machine. The cert is restricted to code signing only (it can't be used to intercept HTTPS), but if our signing key were ever leaked or the repo compromised, that trust could be abused. Uninstalling removes the cert and the driver again.

This is inherent to shipping a self-signed kernel driver — there's no way around it short of a real (expensive, attested) Microsoft-cross-signed EV certificate. Install it only if you're comfortable with that tradeoff.

4. On first run it might be a little weird, click in and out of the window.

5. It is recommended to move the tray icon onto your taskbar but you don't have to :).

Needed Improvements

• Hearing Aid is not yet implemented
• After first install the window will not close until clicked into
• Sometimes airpods show up as disconnected and out of ear when connected

  This happens when put back into and taken out of the case really quickly

• Installed size is a little heavy (100+mb), try and slim down

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Notice of AI Use

Both upstream repos used generative AI at their own discretion. AI was used for the build instructions and to solve some bugs