Android - termux - Playstore no longer a recommended install source

General
1

Just a note that the Android documentation should probably be changed to recommend F-Droid install of termux only.
I just installed from the play store, and got it working with a little jiggery-pokery, but as per here:

it seems that the playstore termux is not maintained, and can't be because the user login for maintaining it is lost!
So before I get too far, I'm going to uninstall termux and try the F-Droid route. I'll report if it does not go significantly more easily.
br,
Simon

2

I don't think that is saying that you need to uninstall termux, just that you have to change the package sources.

3

agree, it offers a workaround... but probably cleaner to start again. After a full upgrade, when I installed OpenSSH and sshed into it, I got a lot of red text telling me I was running the playstore version, and how I should not be!!! I just think the Documentation section in NodeRed could be modified to highlight that the Playstore version is not ideal...

4

I always prefer F-Droid as app store before google-Droid.
I know, nothing is safe anymore, but ...

5

Experience of installing Node-Red on Android using termux from F-Droid:
(This is a more in-depth writeup. The below is just my experience of doing it...)

1/ Download F-Droid from the original website, and chrome should ask if you want to install it.
2/ In F-Droid, search Termux. Install the one just called 'Termux'. (at the point of installation, my random Android on some chinese tablet asked me to authorise F-Droid to install things...).
3/ since I will try to run node-red at boot, I also installed Termux:boot - this prompted 'Harmfull app blocked', but you can then 'install anyway'.
4/ open termux.
5/ to make things easier, install openssh (I read here):

apt update
apt upgrade
apt install openssh

set a password, then run sshd:

passwd
  type pwd twice
sshd &
ifconfig

now you can ssh in to cut & paste more easily..
5/ Install node-red:
ssh into your new android device at IP:8022 - use root and the pwd entered above.

apt install coreutils nano nodejs
npm i -g --unsafe-perm node-red

run node-red to test:

node-red

Check you can get to it from the outside, and then use ctrl-C to kill it.

5/ IF you want to start at boot:
Run termux:boot once - it claims start on boot rights the first time you run it.
termux:boot runs scripts in ./termux/boot/ - create this folder.

for SSH,. I created ./termux/boot/10-ssh.sh containing:

#!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/sh
termux-wake-lock
sshd

for node-red, I created ./termux/boot/20-nr.sh containing:

#!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/sh
node /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/node-red

NOTE: The shebang in the installed start script 'node-red' is incompatible with termux:boot - for the explanation see here. The above command line apparently overides that, and so works.

6/ Reboot your android device, and confirm that you can access both ssh and node-red.

(I did this on a chinese Teclast T10 tablet (Android 7) with 4G ram and 64G flash - and may likely use it as a pre-configured backup Node-Red as a standby for my Rpi. As well as a browser interface bolted to the wall home control).

br,

Simon

6

Thanks for that @btsimonh. I have added those notes to my termux info for future use.

7

Was a pain to find :). But the linked explanation makes complete sense, and I'm so glad someone wrote it! I would NEVER have found that. Thinking about it, the tablet I'm using is actually more powerful than my RPi and OrangePi Zero I currently run the home from :).

1 Like
8

If anyone wants to create a pull request for the docs along these lines, please go ahead.

9

Done, pls review.

10

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