Python on your phone: Android and iOS options

A phone is enough to learn Python, test a small script or check an idea away from your desk. Several apps run a real Python interpreter on the device, with no server and often no internet connection. This guide covers the ones that are maintained in October 2026, how to add packages, and where the limits are.

Four apps that run Python on the phone itself, without a server.

Android: Pydroid 3

Pydroid 3 is the simplest place to start on Android. It is on Google Play, it was last updated on 12 September 2026, and it has more than 10 million downloads. Install it like any other app. The first start unpacks the interpreter, so give it a minute and keep at least 250 MB of internal storage free, as the listing asks.

What you get:

An offline Python 3 interpreter. Programs run without an internet connection.
An editor with syntax highlighting, tabs and an extra keyboard row for brackets, colons and quotes.
A terminal, a debugger with breakpoints, and ready-made examples.
Support for Tkinter, Kivy, pygame and PySide6 for programs with a window.

The app is free with ads. A Premium purchase removes the ads and unlocks code prediction and a few heavy libraries, including TensorFlow, PyTorch and OpenCV.

Installing packages in Pydroid 3

Open the menu and choose Pip. You can search and install there, or type pip commands in the app's terminal:

pip install requests
pip install rich
pip list

For scientific libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib and scikit-learn, Pydroid keeps a repository of prebuilt packages. In the Pip screen, leave the prebuilt option on. Building these from source on a phone is slow and often fails.

Android: Termux

Termux gives you a Linux terminal on Android with its own package manager. It suits you if you already work in a shell, or want Git, SSH and Python in one place. The project recommends installing it from F-Droid or from its GitHub releases. The Google Play build is marked experimental and has missing features. Do not mix builds from different sources, because they are signed differently and will not update each other.

pkg update && pkg upgrade
pkg install python
python --version
pip install requests
termux-setup-storage

The last command asks for permission to reach your shared storage, so you can open scripts saved in your Downloads folder. Termux also packages some compiled libraries, which saves you a long build:

pkg install python-numpy
pkg install matplotlib

Use a code editor you like on the phone, or a terminal editor such as nano or vim, which you can install with pkg install.

iPhone and iPad

Apple's rules shape what is possible on iOS. Apps can run Python, but they cannot download and run native code you install later, so compiled packages must ship inside the app.

a-Shell is a free Unix terminal with Python 3, Lua, Perl, C and C++, and it is updated often. pip install works for packages written in pure Python.
Pyto is an IDE with Python 3.10, more than 100 bundled packages in the full version, and pip for pure Python packages. It has a free trial, then a one-time purchase. Its last App Store update was in June 2024, so check that it still works on your iOS version before you pay.
Pythonista 3 is still sold, but it was last updated in April 2023 and ships Python 3.10.

python3 --version
pip install requests
python3 hello.py

A first script to test your setup

This works in all of the apps above once requests is installed. It calls a public API and prints the response code and a few keys:

import requests

r = requests.get("https://api.github.com", timeout=10)
print(r.status_code)
print(list(r.json())[:5])

If it prints 200, your interpreter, pip and network access all work.

Limits to expect

Packages with native code. Pure Python packages install anywhere. Packages written partly in C or Rust need a prebuilt version for your phone, or a compiler. Pydroid and Termux can compile some; on iOS you are limited to what the app bundles.
Background work. Android and iOS pause or stop apps in the background to save battery. A long script may stop when the screen turns off. Termux can hold a wake lock from its notification.
Files. Each app has its own storage area. Keep projects in a Git repository, or in a synced folder, so you can move them to a computer.
Typing. Writing more than a short script on a touch keyboard is slow. A Bluetooth keyboard helps a lot.
Hardware access. Sensors, the camera and notifications need app-specific modules. Your code will not run elsewhere unchanged.

For bigger projects, a laptop with a full Linux environment is the better tool. On Windows, WSL 2 gives you a Linux terminal in a few minutes.

Common questions

Which app should a beginner pick?: On Android, Pydroid 3: it installs in one step and includes examples. On iPhone or iPad, a-Shell is free and current.
Can I use Jupyter notebooks on a phone?: On Android, yes. Pydroid 3 lists Jupyter among the prebuilt packages in its repository.
Is Termux safe to install from outside Google Play?: Install it from F-Droid or from the official termux/termux-app releases on GitHub. Avoid APK mirror sites, which can repackage apps.
Can I build a phone app in Python this way?: You can test Kivy or PySide6 interfaces in Pydroid 3. Packaging a real app for the stores needs a computer and tools such as Buildozer or BeeWare.

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