# How To Set-Up Julia on Android Termux?
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289
**Category:** General Usage
**Tags:** question, android
**Created:** [April 9, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289 "2023-04-09T23:26:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TheCedarPrince](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheCedarPrince)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/1 "2023-04-09T23:26:26Z")
Hi folks,
I am running termux on an android tablet and really have no idea how to get Julia installed on it. Any suggestions on what to do? I googled and found some information about installing a Linux version onto termux but that seems too complicated — is there a simpler way to use Julia on Termux?
Here were a few links I found:
- [Using Julia on Android? - #42 by KajWiik](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-julia-on-android/8086/42)
- [RMSRosas termux julia install instructions 2021 · GitHub](https://gist.github.com/caseykneale/fb5503d95b29c1e3bf167a192bf17420)
- [Julia 1.7 beta 4 doesn't run in termux Android](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-1-7-beta-4-doesnt-run-in-termux-android/67931)
Additionally, I tried downloading the x64 version of Julia 1.8.5 onto my Android environment but it wasn’t working – it complained about files being missing… I can provide more info if needed but I am just curious what folks tend to do.
Thanks!
~ tcp 🌳
---
### Author:  [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2023, 11:31pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/2 "2023-04-09T23:31:22Z")
I had to setup a psuedo-root with a full Linux runtime environment. See [GitHub - termux/proot-distro: An utility for managing installations of the Linux distributions in Termux.](https://github.com/termux/proot-distro)
---
### Author:  [@TheCedarPrince](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheCedarPrince)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/3 "2023-04-12T16:14:29Z")
Wow that is nuts! Do you know why we have to do that @mkitti ? Seems overtly onerous…
---
### Author:  [@rafael.guerra](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rafael.guerra)
#### Post date: [April 12, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/4 "2023-04-12T16:25:18Z")
> [@TheCedarPrince](#):
>
> Seems overtly onerous
No, it is free of charge 🙂
For my part, I followed, I believe, the same links that you have indicated here in Discourse: [1](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-julia-on-android-with-userland/58498/24) and/or [2](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-julia-on-android-with-userland/58498/24).
I had problems with latest UserLand version, but not with Termux, thanks to @mkitti’s advice.
> **In case it helps, these are the notes I took back then**
>
> ```julia
> pkg install proot
> pkg install debian
>
> proot-distro login debian
>
> apt-get update
> apt-get upgrade
> apt-get install wget
> apt-get install build-essential
>
> wget https://julialang-s3.julialang.org/bin/linux/aarch64/1.9/julia-1.9.0-beta2-linux-aarch64.tar.gz
>
> tar -xvfa julia-1.9.0-beta2-linux-aarch64.tar.gz
> rm julia-1.9.0-beta2-linux-aarch64.tar.gz
>
> julia-1.9.0beta2/bin/julia
>
> # next time Termux is run, up arrow key will bring previous commands:
> proot-distro login debian
> julia
>
> ```
---
### Author:  [@caleb-allen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/caleb-allen)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/5 "2023-04-19T13:39:47Z")
> [@TheCedarPrince](#):
>
> Wow that is nuts! Do you know why we have to do that @mkitti ? Seems overtly onerous…
Perhaps the reason for this is because Android doesn’t implement a fully compliant POSIX environment, or at least whatever system calls Julia expects. Thus, a full Linux environment is required.
I think the only way around that would be to compile Julia using Android’s NDK which may be difficult (or impossible?)
---
### Author:  [@caleb-allen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/caleb-allen)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/6 "2023-04-19T13:46:32Z")
That said, in the longer term it may be possible and relatively easy with the upcoming [Android Virtualization Framework](https://source.android.com/docs/core/virtualization), though that is just conjecture on my part.
If it ever becomes accessible to developers/users it would become much easier to bundle and distribute a Julia app from Google Play, running the Julia executable in a virtualized sandbox environment.
---
### Author:  [@TheCedarPrince](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheCedarPrince)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/7 "2023-04-19T13:55:58Z")
Hunh! Your idea makes complete sense to me and wasn’t something I considered (regarding POSIX). Exciting about virtualization someday in the future and hope that works out; maybe I can try assisting there when it comes time? I may review Julia issues to see if there is anything for Termux and to see if anyone could point me in the direction for why Julia doesn’t work out of the box (without a POSIX system) on Android.
Either way, thanks for sharing thoughts!
---
### Author:  [@caleb-allen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/caleb-allen)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/8 "2024-10-12T18:14:21Z")
> [@caleb-allen](#):
>
> in the longer term it may be possible and relatively easy with the upcoming [Android Virtualization Framework](https://source.android.com/docs/core/virtualization), though that is just conjecture on my part
Well whaddya know, it looks like this is indeed going to be the case! Android Authority [reports](https://www.androidauthority.com/android-linux-terminal-app-3489887/) recent work in AOSP of a “Terminal” app that installs and manages a Debian VM using the above mentioned Android Virtualization Framework (AVF).
It’s a significant development because this is the first time the virtualization feature has been exposed to the end user without root permissions. AVF has been baking for a few years now in a limited capacity, but it’s only been accessible by hardware vendors, not third party application and certainly not end users ([Here’s a talk](https://youtu.be/hLdUCrlheKg) from Qualcomm about how they implemented AVF using their own hypervisor, Gunyah). It’s clearly of value to manufacturers, as they are able to open up their hardware to a much wider range of software for testing, validation, etc.
I imagine that this Terminal app is also meant to showcase the virtualization API, but whether it’ll be for first party or third party apps is unclear; the API has been available for some time for privileged system apps, I wonder if that will remain the case.
Regardless, this is great news for us Julia users!
---
### Author:  [@Palli](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Palli)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/9 "2024-10-12T19:32:27Z")
> [@caleb-allen](#):
>
> > [@caleb-allen](#):
> >
> > it may be possible and relatively easy with the upcoming [Android Virtualization Framework](https://source.android.com/docs/core/virtualization), though that is just conjecture on my part
>
> Well whaddya know, it looks like this is indeed going to be the case! Android Authority [reports](https://www.androidauthority.com/android-linux-terminal-app-3489887/) recent work in AOSP of a “Terminal” app that installs and manages a Debian VM using the above mentioned Android Virtualization Framework (AVF).
This is an intriguing possibility, for e.g. Julia Julia with the REPL, or well anything else, but not to make native Android apps.
I think the new `juliac` might help make that more practical.
Python 3.13 officially supports Android (again), so we’re competing with it, or maybe a better path to use together. E.g. Python’s [kivy.org](http://kivy.org) (or something like **[BeeWare](https://wiki.python.org/moin/Android)** even better?) enables “cross-platform GUI apps”:
> Kivy runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows.
Julia already supports ARM64 (on macOS tier 1, not tier 1 on Linux, why not?), See also:
> [@Julia development on Qualcomm Snapdragon for Windows](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-development-on-qualcomm-snapdragon-for-windows/116852/2):
>
> When someone motivated and interested on this platform will have completed the port. At the moment there’s no one in sight with these requirements, until then the expected timeline is never.
What _minimal_ dependencies does Julia require? E.g. Julia currently relies on glibc (or musl), C library, not Android’s bionc. What else might be problematic? I think if Python used and calling Julia with `juliac` compiled libraries, then some proof-of-concept native Julia app could be made, easier.
---
### Author:  [@fps](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/fps)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/10 "2025-11-21T18:25:18Z")
Just a quick heads-up. Julia works and is packaged in nix-on-android.
---
### Author:  [@kousu](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kousu)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/11 "2025-11-22T17:28:57Z")
Incredible. Just last week I saw Julia wasn’t in Termux; I tried [AnLinux](https://f-droid.org/packages/exa.lnx.a/) with both Debian and Arch and found Julia wasn’t there either and resigned myself. It’s not like I’m going to be coding much on a touchscreen anyway.
But now I [have the option](https://f-droid.org/packages/com.termux.nix/):
---
### Author:  [@junix](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/junix)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2026, 9:13am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-set-up-julia-on-android-termux/97289/12 "2026-04-09T09:13:25Z")
The Termux community has already integrated the **glibc** environment into the officially maintained auxiliary repositories.
Follow these steps:
```julia-auto
# step 1
pkg update
pkg install glibc-repo
# step 2
pkg install glibc glibc-runner
```
```julia-auto
wget https://julialang-s3.julialang.org/bin/linux/aarch64/1.12/julia-1.12.5-linux-aarch64.tar.gz
```
