Run Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, Fedora, Arch and more on your Android phone, with a full desktop. No root.

Quick start · Distros · Desktops · Modded OS 2.0 · How it works · Help · App 8.x

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What is Andronix?

Andronix puts a real Linux distro on your Android phone or tablet. You get the distro's own command line and packages, and a desktop (XFCE, LXQt, MATE or KDE Plasma) that opens full screen on the phone. It doesn't need root and doesn't change anything on Android itself.

It runs inside Termux with PRoot, which lets the distro use its own root filesystem without root on the phone. The Andronix app picks the distro and desktop and gives you one command to paste into Termux. The andronix installer in this repository does the rest.

_{Watch the Andronix 2.0 video on YouTube}

What's new in Andronix 2.0

Andronix 2.0 is app 10 plus a new installer, written in Go.

• A new installer. One Go binary that checks your phone, applies the fixes it needs, and verifies every download against its sha256. If an install stops, run the same command again and it continues.
• 9 free, current distros. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS, Debian 13, Kali, Fedora 44, Arch Linux ARM, Manjaro ARM, Alpine 3.24 and Void.
• Desktops in Termux:X11. andronix desktop opens your desktop full screen on the phone, with sound. VNC still works.
• Firefox with video and sound, and a normal user account with sudo instead of root.
• Modded OS 2.0. Five ready-made desktops, styled and set up by Andronix. One Modded Pass unlocks every edition.
• A redesigned app. Get notified when an install finishes, report a problem right from the app, and use it in 7 languages.

Full notes: the Andronix 2.0 announcement and the installer changelog.

Quick start

1. Install Termux. From F-Droid, GitHub or Google Play (the Play build needs Android 11 or newer). See Install Termux.

2. Install a distro, with the app or with one command.

• With the app (recommended): get Andronix on Google Play, pick a distro and a desktop, and paste the command it copies into Termux. Step-by-step guide.

• Without the app: paste this into Termux, with the distro and desktop you want:

  curl -fsSL https://dl.andronix.app/get.sh -o $PREFIX/tmp/get.sh && sh $PREFIX/tmp/get.sh install debian --de xfce
  

  It sets up the andronix command and runs the install. The docs have a version that retries on a bad connection.

3. Create your user when the installer asks, then open the desktop: install the Termux:X11 app (termux-x11-universal-debug.apk) and run this in Termux:

andronix desktop debian

Not sure what to pick? Debian 13 with XFCE runs on every phone. See Choose a distro and desktop.

Supported distros

All free. andronix install <id> --de <desktop> installs one.

Most phones are arm64. The installer checks your CPU first and tells you if a distro doesn't support it. Details, start scripts and package managers: Supported distros.

Desktops

Every desktop install comes with Firefox. Open it full screen with andronix desktop and the Termux:X11 app; sound plays through the phone's speakers. To use the desktop from another device, VNC works too.

_{Debian 13 with XFCE, installed by andronix}

Modded OS 2.0

Modded OS are Linux distros we've styled and set up for you: one Andronix look, themes, and the everyday apps already installed, so you can skip the setup. Modded 2.0 is built on the same current distros as the free installer:

• Ubuntu XFCE 26.04 LTS
• Ubuntu KDE 26.04 LTS
• Debian XFCE 13
• Manjaro XFCE ARM
• Kali Linux XFCE rolling

They're paid, and sold in the app through Google Play: the Modded Pass unlocks every edition, and Andronix Complete is Premium plus the Modded Pass. Prices are shown in the app. If you bought a Modded edition before 2.0, you keep it: it's in the app as a Classic edition.

The Modded images aren't in this repository; it has only the installer's side (--edition, editions.conf). See Modded OS and Installing Modded OS.

Requirements

• Termux from F-Droid, GitHub or Google Play. The Play build needs Android 11 or newer.
• Android 12 and newer can stop long-running apps (Process completed (signal 9)). Turn that off once.
• Kernels older than 4.8 (many Android 8 and 9 phones): the command line works, but desktops stay black. The installer tells you.

More: Requirements and Limitations (no Snap, Flatpak, Docker or GPU acceleration).

How it works

flowchart LR
    A["Andronix app<br/>pick a distro and desktop"] -->|copies one command| B["Termux"]
    B --> C["get.sh<br/>installs andronix"]
    C --> D["andronix install"]
    D -->|"download, sha256 check"| E["dl.andronix.app<br/>clean rootfs images"]
    D --> F["distro under proot<br/>~/.andronix/distros/"]
    F -->|andronix desktop| G["Termux:X11<br/>full-screen desktop + sound"]

• The installer: one Go binary per CPU (aarch64, arm, i686, x86_64), built with GOOS=android for Termux. A static Linux build of the same code runs inside each distro for the desktop and user setup.
• Distros and desktops are data: distros/*.conf and desktops/*.conf (plain KEY=value). The dev packs are data too, in mods/packs/*.conf.
• Where the rootfs comes from: clean tarballs on dl.andronix.app (ci/build-rootfs.sh, checked by ci/check-image.sh). If a tarball isn't there, the distro's official Docker image is used.
• Running it: each distro runs under proot, with fixes for Android kernels and seccomp. The installer measures what your phone's kernel and Termux can do and applies the fixes that phone needs; andronix doctor shows them.

DESIGN.md has the details, and CHANGELOG.md has the releases.

Commands

andronix install <distro> [--de xfce|lxqt|mate|kde|none]
andronix start <distro> [-- command...]      ./start-<distro>.sh works too
andronix desktop <distro>                    the desktop in Termux:X11
andronix update [<distro>]                   the installer and your distros
andronix backup <distro> --to storage        andronix restore
andronix pack add <distro> python|node|java|go|db
andronix tune <distro> --profile light|balanced
andronix doctor                              what your phone supports, and the fixes applied
andronix report                              send us a problem report
andronix remove <distro>
andronix telemetry off|on|status

andronix help lists everything. Full reference: the andronix command.

Help and troubleshooting

• The install fails or stops
• The desktop is black, slow or closes
• Process completed (signal 9)
• Termux problems
• FAQ
• Report a problem: from the app, or with andronix report in Termux

Still stuck? Ask on Discord or email [email protected].

Using app 8.x or older?

Nothing changes for you. The app 8.x installers, uninstallers and scripts stay on the master branch, and the app keeps downloading them from there.

• Docs for app 8.x (Classic)
• Installs from before Andronix 2.0: what happens to them, and how to move to the new versions
• Old install guides (VNC, sound and storage on an old install)

To get Andronix 2.0, update the app from Google Play.

Build and test

ci/build-go.sh                    # all binaries into dist/ (arm, i686 and x86_64 need the Android NDK or Docker)
NO_NDK=1 ci/build-go.sh           # quick: linux builds + android aarch64
go test ./...
tests/smoke.sh                    # end to end in a Termux-like Docker box (tests/Dockerfile)
tests/screens.sh debian xfce      # install a desktop and take screenshots
ci/build-rootfs.sh debian aarch64 # a clean rootfs tarball

The test box turns telemetry off (ANDRONIX_NO_TELEMETRY=1). tests/emulator/ runs the installer inside the real Termux app on Android emulators.

Contributing

• Bugs: report a problem from the app or with andronix report, so we get your phone's details. GitHub issues are welcome too.
• Pull requests: welcome on main for the installer and its distro and desktop data. Fixes for the app 8.x scripts go to master.
• Open-source maintainers can get everything in Andronix for free: email [email protected] with your GitHub username and project. See Andronix and open source.

Privacy

andronix sends anonymous install events: distro, desktop, CPU, Android version, result, and a random id. It never sends names, emails, paths or commands. A notice shows the first time. Turn them off with andronix telemetry off or ANDRONIX_NO_TELEMETRY=1. The app's policy: andronix.app/privacy.

Links

• Website: andronix.app
• Docs: docs.andronix.app
• Discord: chat.andronix.app
• Installer releases: AndronixApp/andronix
• Email: [email protected]

License

MIT, see LICENSE. Each distro and package keeps its own license, and the distro logos belong to their projects.