Surprisingly, Emacs on Android is pretty good

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Input, keybindings, and keyboards

  • Main friction is Emacs modifier chords on touchscreens; virtual-keyboard toggles make multi-modifier chords tedious.
  • Workarounds:
    • Bluetooth / USB keyboards (including foldable or rollable ones) are widely used; considered the best experience if available.
    • Developer-focused keyboards (Unexpected Keyboard, Hacker’s Keyboard) with Ctrl/Meta/Alt and custom layouts.
    • Termux’s extra-keys bar or mapping volume buttons to Ctrl/Meta or arbitrary Emacs commands.
    • Emacs-side tweaks: modifier-bar-mode, customized toolbars/menus, leader-key schemes, modal editing (e.g., meow), and binding common actions to toolbar buttons or volume keys.
  • Emacs 30 adds better touchscreen events (e.g., pinch to change font size), but packages need to catch up.

Use cases and what works well

  • Org and org-roam are repeatedly cited as “pretty good” on Android, especially for capture/recall and light editing.
  • For serious coding, opinions diverge:
    • Some say it’s fine for smaller tasks, especially inside Termux or Debian-on-Android.
    • Others consider it a “no-go” without robust LSP/eglot support on native builds, or due to awkward ergonomics.
  • Alternatives suggested: run Emacs in Termux with X11, use the Pixel “Terminal” Debian VM, or remote into a more powerful machine via SSH/RDP/Mosh and just use Android as a thin client.

Syncing notes and cross-device workflows

  • Multiple workflows mix desktop Emacs/org with remote servers (SSH, Tramp, git, simple scp/bash scripts).
  • For mobile org/markdown syncing, people mention git, iCloud, Syncthing, Nextcloud, Working Copy, and dedicated org apps; none are described as perfect.
  • Hard problems called out: consistent link semantics across apps, browsing large note graphs, TODO aggregation across many files, and conflict‑free, always‑on sync.

UX, performance, and editor philosophy

  • Consensus: Emacs on Android is impressive and usable, but not as smooth as desktop Emacs or a purpose-built mobile notes app.
  • Some argue Emacs users tolerate clunky UX; others emphasize Emacs as a customizable REPL whose mobile incarnation should be a consciously limited subset.
  • Long subthread debates Emacs’ single-threaded design and LSP performance:
    • Critics report freezes and “jank” on large projects versus modern IDEs.
    • Defenders say with native compilation, tuned configs, and/or JSON/LSP optimizations, performance is acceptable.
  • Broader editor comparisons (Vim, VS Code, IDEA, Zed) surface mostly around performance and ergonomics, not Android-specific issues.

Android-specific tooling and ecosystem

  • Termux is praised as a surprisingly capable mini-distro; some wonder if newer Android VM/container features will supersede it.
  • There are multiple ways to get Emacs: native Android port (including via F-Droid or Obtainium), Termux builds, and Debian-in-VM.
  • F-Droid’s UX for newcomers is criticized: APK download is obvious, installation instructions are not.