Pi-hole for ARMv7 (2011 and newer) Android devices.
Note: There is no endorsement or partnership between this page and Pi-hole© LLC. They deserve your support if you find this useful.
Pi-hole is a network-level advertisement and Internet tracker blocking application for Linux which acts as a DNS sinkhole intended for use on a private network. It is designed for low-power embedded devices with network capability, focusing on the Raspberry Pi as its 'reference' hardware platform.
Pi-hole for Android is a CentOS disk image for Linux Deploy that is tuned to work with the Pi-hole installer. It can be used on any rooted Android device with an ARMv7 or newer CPU; this includes almost any Android device made in the past 10+ years. Form factor is not important; it could be a phone, tablet, HDMI stick or any device running Android.
Requirements:
- Android device that has been rooted
- Developer Options -> Root Access -> Enabled for Apps
Instructions:
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Open web browser on device and download+install the Linux Deploy APK. You can also download this from the Play Store if preferred:
- Get the latest version at: https://github.com/meefik/linuxdeploy/releases
- Android 4.x requires an older release: https://github.com/meefik/linuxdeploy/releases/tag/2.5.1
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Download the Pi-hole for Android disk image: (v1.5 / January 16, 2022)
- http://desktopecho.com/p4a15.tar.gz (MD5: f20ce97741a56fc599739bf830f53be9)
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Open Linux Deploy and change ONLY these settings:
- Open Properties Menu (Bottom Right)
- Distribution: rootfs.tar
- Source Path - This varies depending on the device, ie: ${EXTERNAL_STORAGE}/Download/p4a15.tar.gz
- Set password for user android
- Init -> Enable
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Go back to main window, click Options Menu (Three dots, usually at top right of screen) and click Install
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Wait a few minutes for the image to install before proceeding to the next step. When install is complete, the Linux Deploy console window will show the following at the end of the console output:
[HH:mm:ss] >>> :: Configuring core/profile ...[HH:mm:ss] >>> :: Configuring core/sudo ...[HH:mm:ss] >>> :: Configuring core/unchroot ...[HH:mm:ss] >>> deploy -
Before you continue, make sure the Linux Deploy Console is free of error messages. If there are errors, troubleshoot by verifying the location of p4a15.tar.gz using a file manager as the path can vary by device. If you have trouble installing the image in Linux Deploy it may be because of SELinux. See this post on XDA for an APK to disable SELinux.
-
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Open the 'Hamburger menu' (Three dashes at top left) and touch Settings
- Place checkmark on Lock Wi-Fi (If your device has Wi-Fi)
- Place checkmark on Autostart
Touch the [ ▸ START ] button and confirm.
INSTALLATION COMPLETE - PI-HOLE IS RUNNING ON YOUR ANDROID DEVICE!
Your Android device's IP is shown at the top of the Linux Deploy main window. You can interact with the Pi-hole instance in several ways:
-
Open a web browser to the Android device's IP address -->
http://10.13.12.11/admin -
SSH to the instance on port 22 -->
ssh android@10.13.12.11 -
If your Android device has a display, you can RDP into the Pi-hole instance (as localhost) by installing the Microsoft Remote Desktop client.
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RDP to the device's IP address from a remote machine -->
mstsc.exe /v:10.13.12.11
Pi-hole for Android wiki topics:
- PADD is missing information / How to update
- Setting custom disk/shmem alert thresholds
- Linux Deploy - Trouble finding disk image or install location
Additional Info
RDP Sessions launch the Openbox window manager with QTerminal in fullscreen mode. To open a new tab hit [Ctrl-Shift-T] and to un-hide the menubar hit [Ctrl-Shift-M]
You can restart (or "bounce") the Pi-hole instance in Linux Deploy by pressing [ ■ STOP ] and waiting a few seconds for the instance to indicate all services are stopped. Restart the instance by pressing [ ▸ START ]
When a Pi-hole instance starts up, the default setting is to let it automagically configure networking. If you change networks on the Android device simply restart the instance for Pi-hole to pick up the new settings.
Alternatively, set a static assignment by commenting-out two lines in /etc/rc.local (You will see which ones when you open the file in an editor.) After the lines are commented out with a hash "#" you can manually add your IP, subnet and interface name to /etc/pihole/setupVars.conf
Added Unbound to provide encrypted DNS by default; no addional configuration is necessary.
The Pi-hole instance on Android otherwise behaves like it is running on a 'real' Raspberry-Pi or a standard PC. Consult the extensive documentation online to learn how to fully leverage Pi-hole's functionality.
Adjust QT display scaling: ~/startwm.sh
Change the font size in QTerminal: ~/.config/qterminal.org/qterminal.ini
If your Android device has a battery and was unused for months or years, replace its battery. Old, worn, or abused Li-ion batteries can fail when pushed back into service. Failure appears as a bulge in the battery, "thermal event" or worse. A new battery makes an excellent UPS for the tiny Linux box you just provisioned!