This is awesome, brother—you’ve definitely got an old Android phone lying in your drawer, right?

Gathering dust silently, not worth much, and throwing it away would be a shame.

Now someone has written a script that can directly turn it into a complete Linux desktop computer, a smart home server, or a development machine.
The key is that it’s completely free.

This amazing tool is called linux-android.

It’s just one script—no root required, no flashing, and absolutely no risk of bricking. Just run it in Termux, and your old phone can instantly transform into a Linux computer.

It can install these things for you:
→ A complete Linux desktop environment.
Optional XFCE4, LXQt, or MATE desktop—on your phone, you’ll be running a real windowed desktop. Plug in a monitor and keyboard via USB, and it feels no different from a real PC.
→ A smart home server.
Run Home Assistant directly on your phone, and within your local network, any browser can control your home’s WiFi lights, smart sockets, and all kinds of smart devices—completely without relying on the cloud.
→ GPU acceleration support.
On phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, you can get near-native GPU performance through the Turnip Vulkan driver; Mali GPU models also have a software fallback solution.
→ An SSH server.
Any computer on the same WiFi can remotely access your phone, with full terminal permissions—transfer files, write code, and everything can be handled easily with a laptop keyboard.
→ Wine compatibility support.
Through Box64 translation, you can run basic Windows application programs on an Android phone.
→ Audio support.
PulseAudio is automatically configured and ready to use right out of the box.
→ Compatible with all models—as long as it’s an Android phone that can install Termux, you can use it.

The most unbelievable part is still coming:

A Raspberry Pi 4 costs between $35 and $75; a second-hand mini PC will set you back at least over $100; and a VPS costs as much as $5 per month—you’ll have to keep paying year after year.

But what about that old phone in your drawer? It has a faster processor, more memory, and even comes with a spare battery, WiFi, and a touchscreen—without spending a single extra cent. This thing was already yours to begin with.

The Snapdragon 855 chip from your 2019 phone can still outclass the vast majority of entry-level server chipsets even now. Every time you used to change phones, you were basically throwing away a proper computer.

Now, it won’t happen anymore.

One command, one old phone, one complete Linux host—right in your hands.

The project is 100% open source, using the MIT license agreement—use it with peace of mind.