Termux:API icon

Termux:API

by Tarek Sander · GPL-3.0-only · open source

The add-on that connects the Termux command line to Android itself. With it, your scripts can show notifications, read sensors and location, send SMS, take photos and much more.

Needs:Termux from F-Droid · Android 7.0+

No known trackers in the code Signer matches F-Droid’s record

2113 Apps is independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by Tarek Sander. Official sources: termux.com · source code on GitHub.

Download APK · 4.0 MB v0.53.0 · checked
Version
0.53.0
Size
4.0 MB
Requires
Android 7.0+
Updated
2025-09-05

Introduction

On its own, Termux can’t reach most of your phone: no location, no notifications, no camera. Termux:API is the bridge. When a script runs a command such as termux-battery-status or termux-notification, this app carries out the request on the Android side and hands the result back, usually as JSON that scripts can read.

Setting it up

It comes in two parts, and you need both:

  1. This app, installed from the same source as your Termux (see below).
  2. The command-line tools, installed inside Termux with pkg install termux-api.

The commands live in the second part, so installing the app alone changes nothing you can see in the terminal.

What your scripts can do

The termux-api package has more than 50 commands. A selection, by area:

  • Phone state: termux-battery-status, termux-torch, termux-vibrate, termux-volume, termux-brightness
  • Notifications and prompts: termux-notification, termux-toast, termux-dialog
  • Location and sensors: termux-location, termux-sensor, termux-wifi-scaninfo
  • Messages and calls: termux-sms-list, termux-sms-send, termux-call-log, termux-telephony-call
  • Camera and audio: termux-camera-photo, termux-microphone-record, termux-media-player, termux-tts-speak, termux-speech-to-text
  • Files and sharing: termux-clipboard-get, termux-clipboard-set, termux-share, termux-download, termux-storage-get

Permissions

The app declares 35 permissions, from SMS and call log to camera, microphone, location and the infrared blaster, because each command needs its own. The sensitive ones are runtime permissions, so Android only grants them once you allow them. According to the README, only the main Termux app may call its functions.

Good to know

  • It only works with a Termux signed with the same key. Our file is F-Droid’s build, for Termux from F-Droid; our Termux plugins guide explains why sources can’t be mixed.
  • The Termux wiki notes that on Android 7, some commands such as termux-battery-status can hang unless Termux:API is exempted from battery restrictions.
  • There is no native code, so the 4.0 MB file runs on any CPU. It needs Android 7.0 or later.
  • The Google Play version of Termux doesn’t have a Termux:API app yet; its developers have built some of the API tools into the main app instead.

Written by 2113, last reviewed . Sources: source code, release notes, F-Droid listing.

What’s inside the APK

Trackers

None found

No code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures.

Native code

None

Pure Java/Kotlin, so it runs on any CPU.

Android versions

Android 7.0 and up

Built for Android 9 (target API 28).

Permissions

35

14 of them need your approval first.

Asks you first (14)

Android shows a prompt before the app can use these.

  • Location while running in the background · ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION
  • Approximate location · ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
  • Precise location · ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
  • Body sensors such as heart rate · BODY_SENSORS
  • Place phone calls directly · CALL_PHONE
  • Use the camera · CAMERA
  • Read the call log · READ_CALL_LOG
  • Read your contacts · READ_CONTACTS
  • Read shared storage (Android 12 and older) · READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
  • Read phone status and identity · READ_PHONE_STATE
  • Read text messages · READ_SMS
  • Record audio with the microphone · RECORD_AUDIO
  • Send text messages · SEND_SMS
  • Write shared storage (Android 10 and older) · WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

You switch these on in Settings (5)

Special app access. Nothing is granted until you turn it on yourself.

  • All files access · MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
  • Usage access · PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS
  • Install unknown apps · REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES
  • Display over other apps · SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW
  • Modify system settings · WRITE_SETTINGS
System-level (1)

Reserved for system apps. A normal install does not get these; they only take effect through root, ADB or Shizuku, if at all.

  • DUMP
Granted at install (14)

Low-risk permissions Android grants automatically, plus any we have not classified.

  • ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
  • ACCESS_WIFI_STATE
  • CHANGE_WIFI_STATE
  • INTERNET
  • NFC
  • READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE
  • RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
  • REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES
  • REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS
  • SET_WALLPAPER
  • TRANSMIT_IR
  • USE_BIOMETRIC
  • USE_FINGERPRINT
  • VIBRATE
Defined by other apps (1)

Permissions that belong to another app or to this app itself.

  • com.termux.api.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

More Information

Package name
com.termux.api
Version
0.53.0 (build 1002)
File size
4.0 MB (3,956,196 bytes)
Requires
Android 7.0 or later
Category
System Tools
License
GPL-3.0-only
Developer
Tarek Sander
Released
Sep 5, 2025
Signed by
F-Droid, which built this APK from the published source code. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub (or the other way round) without uninstalling first.
Signer SHA-256
228fb2cfe90831c1499ec3ccaf61e96e8e1ce70766b9474672ce427334d41c42
File SHA-256
4497dbbf81906df52e59ed387a5223d225aa0de3aca817cc557a621e4dadda44
Checked
, against the F-Droid index · how we check · verify it yourself

Common questions

Is this APK the official Termux:API release?

It is F-Droid’s build rather than the developer’s own: F-Droid compiled Termux:API 0.53.0 from the published source code and signed it with its own key. Its SHA-256 matches F-Droid’s signed index. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub without uninstalling first.

What Android version does Termux:API need?

Android 7.0 or later (API level 24). Version 0.53.0 is built for Android 9 (target API 28). Pure Java/Kotlin, so it runs on any CPU.

Can Termux:API access the internet?

Yes. The APK requests Android’s internet permission. In total it declares 35 permissions, and 14 of them need your approval first.

Does Termux:API contain trackers?

No known trackers: our scan of version 0.53.0 found no code matching the Exodus Privacy tracker signatures. The scan covers known tracker libraries; it doesn’t show what data the app itself sends.

Is Termux:API open source?

Yes. Termux:API is released under the GPL-3.0-only licence, and its source code is published at https://github.com/termux/termux-api.

Recent releases

Version Released Size Requires
v0.53.0 · this download Sep 5, 2025 4.0 MB Android 7.0+
v0.52.0 May 29, 2025 4.0 MB Android 7.0+
v0.51.0 Apr 5, 2025 3.7 MB Android 7.0+

Versions currently kept in the F-Droid repository. We host and check only the newest one. Full changelog.

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