How To Get Earbud Controls To Work On Android

[KINDA GUIDE] Mod an earphone/headphone'due south Apple inline remote to work on an Android telephone Oct five, 2014

vantt1 , October 5, 2014 :
As yous may already know, a big majority of earphones/headphones out there take inline remotes designed for use with an iDevice. They have three buttons: volume up, volume downwardly and play/pause, besides as a microphone for calls. These remotes partially work on Android devices, with the exception of the volume buttons, which do nothing on Android.
There are inline remotes that have a unmarried button, which ways it will exist fully functional on both iDevices and Android devices, because there are no redundant buttons that exclusively work on one or the other. Only that means it doesn't have volume controls, which are convenient to have.

There are a few earphones out there that have Android volume buttons, but they are far and few. To proper noun a few, these include:

Stock bundled Samsung earbuds that you go with Galaxy S devices

Stock arranged HTC earbuds that you lot get with HTC devices

Xiaomi Pistons

The upcoming OnePlus Silver Bullet in-ears

Some Sennheisers

But if you prefer to use annihilation other than the few that have an inline remote with full Android back up out of the box, then you're out of luck.
Kinda.

This post will walk you lot through the procedure of me modifying an existing inline remote to work with an Android device, complete with volume buttons. It'due south kinda a guide, but also not, because partway through I had to start over and that ruined the flow.

I'm going to use a cheap Beats cable from eBay that has a three push button Apple inline remote (right), and the inline remote from the stock Samsung earbuds bundled with the Milky way S4 (left).

First, I desoldered the inline remote push PCB from both cables.

The Beats ane:

And the Samsung ane:

Did you notice how the Beats' remote is larger overall, and has more wires running through information technology? That'southward because the Beats cablevision terminates in a standard stereo mini jack, whereas the Samsung'due south remote is inline on the right earbud's cablevision. More than on this later.

The existing Beats remote instance couldn't be used, because:

The button PCB is a different size

The push configuration is dissimilar

The microphone placement is different

So, modify of program. I'm going to employ the Samsung's remote PCB and example on the Beats cable.

The Beats' remote case was removed.

Now, considering the new remote case volition not have enough room for all three wires to run through it, one channel'due south wires (2 wires) volition have to be cutting short and soldered onto the stop of the remote PCB, leaving a single wire behind, which would fit more easily in the new remote case.

The gold colored wire is almost always the ground connexion, and then the footing plus either the green or the red wire can be cut brusque, leaving one wire to run exterior of the PCB, Doesn't matter which channel; as long as it is the same one to be cutting short on the other side.

I cut grooves in the Samsung remote example so there'south room for the surplus wire to run through it.

And the ends of the cable'south insulation had grooves melted into them using the soldering iron, then information technology tin can be anchored down by the studs in the case.

Time for some superglue! The brush on type is the best, considering you lot can easily control the corporeality applied, dissimilar the squeezy squrity ones.

And it's washed! A Samsung/Android remote on a Beats cable originally designed for Apple devices, complete with not-redundant volume buttons! I could've painted it black, but this was just a test run. Maybe next fourth dimension!

You lot may accept noticed that the inline remote pictured in a higher place is slightly dissimilar from the 1 seen before, considering I had to scrap my first attempt due to a faulty cable. The process was largely the same the second fourth dimension effectually, merely I wasn't bothered to certificate it with pictures.

The finished product (not too shabby for what's more or less a first effort):

If only there was a way to resize pictures in a thread to a size other than the maximum width.
Hanson Lee , Oct 5, 2014 :

That, is a hugely complicated process.
But thanks.
gmo8492 , October 5, 2014 :

Very cool, but and so much trouble all for a pair of ear buds.
vantt1 , Oct 5, 2014 :

I'm really having issues with this particular remote on the OnePlus One. The book buttons work fine, but the play/pause button sends a volume up signal to the phone near of the fourth dimension, and rarely does what it'due south supposed to do. The remote works normally on a Samsung telephone though (tested on the Note 3 and S5).
I'm going to brand some GIFs of it so yous can run into what it'due south doing.
Mihail_Ko , Oct 5, 2014 :
vantt1 , October v, 2014 :

Information technology'south really for a pair of Beats Executives, which has a detachable cable.
gusuraman , Oct 5, 2014 :

Very useful. cheers
hotsauce , Oct 5, 2014 :

That is so cool. Thank you for sharing. Now tin you do the same for me if I requite you a Beats & a Samsung headphone? lol
BTW: I uses MS Role movie director to rapidly resize images for forum post.
gmo8492 , Oct 5, 2014 :

Don't permit an audiophile see that...lol
vantt1 , Oct 5, 2014 :

Voilà.

They're actually modified to be completely passive. It makes a HUGE departure to the audio quality. Beats put a congenital-in amplifier into them to accomplish the signature Beats sound, which sounds crawly to the boilerplate consumer (doof doof bass), only information technology is evidently bass-heavy and has noisy noise cancellation.
With the circuit bypassed, they're really not bad at all.

I got them chiefly for the machined aluminum build and super comfortable fit, so having them produce decent sound besides is a bonus.

I'm not gonna lie; I actually kinda similar Beats' headphones. The folding earcups, arranged deport example and other accessories, and merely the design overall. Audio quality is irrelevant in my case, because I can just modify/improve information technology to my liking.
BlackLotus , October 5, 2014 :

LOL. Aren't you gonna answer the gal and go to her home and let her invite you to her room? ^.^
gmo8492 , Oct 5, 2014 :

The modifications is existent.
vantt1 , October 5, 2014 :

I'm gonna start another thread request people with Samsung earphones whether the inline remote works properly too. I wonder if the Silver Bullets volition work properly on the One?
Volume buttons; fine and swell.

Play/suspension push button? Not and so dandy.

(Watch the volume panel, so the play/pause push of the music player)
MysticFreak , Oct 5, 2014 :

thats huge procedure
65daysofleon , October 5, 2014 :

Interesting procedure, merely risky, a big hassle and bluntly, there are plenty of Android-friendly earphones/headphones out there. Much easier to become 1 to your liking than solder upward and risk ruining one designed for iDevices.
vantt1 , Oct five, 2014 :

Yeah, but most of the time, Android-friendly earphones/headphones only have a single button to ensure compatibility with iDevices too. I don't know if it'southward possible to get a cablevision with an Android-friendly 3-button remote made for headphones with detachable cables.
I wasn't besides worried about ruining this cable, because information technology'south only a inexpensive ane from eBay, and I rarely ruin stuff anyway
carbine30 , Oct v, 2014 :

Amazing work, really .
vantt1 , Oct 5, 2014 :

Yeah, I'thousand pretty savvy
Well, the Bluetooth is expected, considering it utilizes the AVRCP standard which is recognized by both Android and iOS.
aziraphel , Feb 10, 2016 :

Nifty work mate, although i hope it exists a detachable cable from another manufacturer that lets you lot use all iii the buttons functionality on the OPO.
If anyone knows a cablevision similar this, it would be greatly appreciated