Step by step
- Install PocketLinux. Install PocketLinux from Google Play on a phone or tablet running Android 8.0 or later. No root, bootloader unlock or PC is needed.
- Pick the distribution. Open the app and choose Arch Linux (or Artix, which is Arch without systemd) from the list of distributions.
- Pick the desktop. Choose terminal only for a minimal set-up, or a desktop such as XFCE, IceWM, i3, Openbox, MATE, LXQt, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon or LXDE. i3 and Openbox suit a lean Arch install.
- Install the environment. Let PocketLinux download and set up the Linux image. Keep enough free storage for the image and the packages you plan to add.
- Launch. Launch the built-in terminal for command-line work, or the full desktop. The display and input stay inside the app, so you don’t need a separate VNC viewer.
What works, and the limits
You get a regular Arch userland with pacman, a built-in terminal and, if you picked one, a full desktop. PocketLinux lists Arch as rolling and experimental, so expect the occasional rough edge after updates.
PocketLinux is rootless: Linux runs through PRoot as the app’s own Android user. That keeps your phone unmodified, but anything that needs root or a full Linux kernel isn’t available, such as loading kernel modules or running standard Docker. PocketLinux needs Android 8.0 or later. Plan roughly 1–2 GB of free space for the first image plus the packages you add, and for desktop sessions a device with around 4 GB of RAM or more is more comfortable.
Tips
- Update the system with
sudo pacman -Syu. - Install packages with
sudo pacman -S git python base-devel. - Prefer to avoid systemd? Pick Artix instead; it uses the same pacman workflow.