[HN Gopher] JuiceSSH - Give me my pro features back
___________________________________________________________________
JuiceSSH - Give me my pro features back
Author : jandeboevrie
Score : 171 points
Date : 2026-01-26 17:46 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (nproject.io)
(TXT) w3m dump (nproject.io)
| twosdai wrote:
| Wow nice work. Thanks for doing this and writing it up.
| JorgeGT wrote:
| Damn. I especially liked the cloud backup & sync. Any good
| alternatives?
| simlevesque wrote:
| I'm using Termux with aliases. I'll write "c1" and it logs in
| the machine. I use git to sync and backup from my laptop.
|
| I bought JuiceSSH too but I didn't use it that much. It's a
| shame they did what they did.
| Zenul_Abidin wrote:
| I too bought JuiceSSH. I can still download and run it on
| other phones I get in the future, right?
| muppetman wrote:
| Cloud sync seems busted, so not really.
| mystifyingpoi wrote:
| Termux is one of the best apps ever made for Android power
| users. It literally replaces so much stuff, if you don't care
| about GUI. No need for SSH app - it has ssh. No need for file
| sync app - there is rsync. No need for notetaking app, there
| is your $EDITOR you like. All 100% free. It's amazing.
| epiccoleman wrote:
| +1. Termux absolutely rules and makes the dream of a
| cyberdeck actually viable. I use it at least once a week
| for various homelab stuff.
| cremp wrote:
| This might be a good plug for Morphie or Revanced patches to
| automate the patch process.
| nfriedly wrote:
| I'm a big fan of Revanced, but I haven't heard of Morphie - do
| you have a link for it? (I tried searching, but all I'm coming
| up with are cosmetics, chargers, and an IRC app.)
|
| Edit: found it: https://morphe.software/ - looks like it's sort
| of an offshoot of ReVanced that only supports Youtube at the
| moment.
|
| And, for those who weren't aware of ReVanced, see
| https://revanced.app/ - it was originally just a tweaked
| version of the YouTube app called Vanced (an "advanced" YouTube
| app, but without the "ad"s ;) - but now it's a tool that can
| patch a bunch of different apps.
| sowbug wrote:
| I haven't used my Pro purchase in years, but if I did want to ssh
| from my phone today, I'd use the newish Terminal app, available
| since Android 15. It's a full Debian virtual machine.
| sunnyam wrote:
| Do you mean Termux? I can't find any other Terminal app with a
| similar name
| simlevesque wrote:
| Enable Developper Options. It should be in the Developer
| menu. It's a toggle that'll enable this apk.
| seszett wrote:
| Honestly I don't find it more useful than Termux,
| especially for being so much heavier.
| cogman10 wrote:
| Just because I was curious.
|
| Termux is doing a container. The android terminal is
| doing a virtual machine. That's the difference.
|
| Termux would definitely be the light weight option, but
| you will be pinned to whatever version of the kernel your
| device is shipped with (may be a bit old.)
| yjftsjthsd-h wrote:
| No, termux isn't a container, it's running directly in
| userspace on the host. The only weird thing is that
| _because_ it 's running directly on the host, it has to
| be built to use unusual paths, eg.
| /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash instead of
| /usr/bin/bash. If it used containers (which IIRC it can't
| because Android doesn't really support it) that would
| actually be easier because then it could use a chroot to
| make the paths look normal.
| cogman10 wrote:
| Ah, well that stinks a little. I guess it makes sense, if
| android doesn't mandate a few kernel settings then
| working with containers might not be an option.
| skissane wrote:
| Couldn't it implement a "fake chroot" by e.g. creating
| its own libc which wraps the real one but with path
| remapping, and then linking all its executables against
| that?
| seszett wrote:
| > _you will be pinned to whatever version of the kernel
| your device is shipped with_
|
| That doesn't matter much for using SSH though.
|
| For running more complex Linux programs or scripts Termux
| is indeed less comfortable (but it can still work).
| ndom91 wrote:
| Is this available outside of Pixels? I still can't find it
| on my OnePlus 13 running Android 16 with Jan security
| updates
| cmehdy wrote:
| The option exists on Samsung phones but is greyed out and
| crashes if you force it via adb. It is also marked as
| experimental.
| yonatan8070 wrote:
| I believe it relies on some virtualization extensions
| Google's CPUs have, which most phone SoCs don't support.
| prmoustache wrote:
| It is buggy as hell anyway.
| saidinesh5 wrote:
| No Android started bundling a terminal app recently:
|
| https://itsfoss.com/news/google-android-linux-terminal-
| rollo...
| domh wrote:
| Huh, I did not know this. This is also present on
| GrapheneOS too! (I'm installing it now)
| fmajid wrote:
| It is extremely flaky on GrapheneOS, at least on my Pixel
| 8 Pro. Just typing Ctrl-D to exit will corrupt it,
| requiring a full reinstallation of the Debian VM
| gruez wrote:
| Control-D works fine for me. It just terminates the VM
| and you can restart.
| wilsonnb3 wrote:
| I don't think it is that widely available due to Snapdragon
| chips not supporting some feature it requires.
|
| Good option for Pixel owners or phones with MediaTek chips
| though.
| fulafel wrote:
| Apparently it's about software, not hardware - Qualcomm
| recommends running Android under a virtual machine (which
| lacks nested virtualization support).
| superb_dev wrote:
| Is this for real? Do you have any more info on this? It
| seems crazy to me given how popular their chips are and how
| many problems I'd imagine this creates
| asutor wrote:
| Using an S24 here and yeah, not available with Android 16
| chasil wrote:
| I run LineageOS on both a Pixel 3a XL and a OnePlus 5. Yes,
| these both run Snapdragons.
|
| The option to install the subsystem is present on both, but I
| have not attempted it.
|
| I have loaded it onto a Pixel 6a running Graphene.
| preisschild wrote:
| Or termux, which doesnt use a VM
| gruez wrote:
| Yeah, another vote for Termux. The linux VM ends up being a
| bit laggy because it's actually a webview that renders a
| terminal, that's connected to the VM. More importantly
| though, the soft keyboard support is totally broken, so if
| you try to backspace more characters than you've typed, it
| won't let you. That sucks if do something like:
|
| 1. type some command, hit enter
|
| 2. hit up to edit it (because you typoed something)
|
| 3. can't backspace because the soft keyboard thinks there's
| nothing to delete
| preisschild wrote:
| Ive always considered termux the more elegant option for
| userspace programs than the android terminal debian vm. I
| just wished android had the permission api to create user
| namespaces (containers) in termux
| PortableCode wrote:
| smali code is funny to read, basically an object-oriented
| assembly language (feels so wrong)
| arendtio wrote:
| Don't let Alan Kay[1] read that...
|
| [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=alankay
| bakugo wrote:
| I just tried to purchase pro from within the app just to see what
| the price is, and the Google Play purchase popup tells me it's
| not available. Interesting.
| saidinesh5 wrote:
| Wow. Thanks for this. I haven't logged into Juice SSH in years,
| but i thought it had all my ssh keys backed up in the cloud.
| znpy wrote:
| I'd start rotating those keys asap... you're one breach away
| from a security nightmare
| graemep wrote:
| You should encrypt your ssh keys anyway, and you should
| encrypt anything sensitive you are backing up to a cloud.
| trey-jones wrote:
| Private keys should never leave the device where they are
| created.
| graemep wrote:
| So no backups?
| Tuna-Fish wrote:
| Correct. Private keys should never be backed up. Instead,
| should you need a backup, you should create a distinct
| key for that purpose.
| TurdF3rguson wrote:
| That's a great plan until you're locked out of all your
| devices with no backup.
| leni536 wrote:
| You can have backup private keys, they don't have to be
| copies of some other private keys.
| 9dev wrote:
| Actually, you shouldn't. You probably use an easy-to-
| remember password on SSH keys since you have to type them
| often, but that also means you're storing one of your
| (let's face it, _the primary_ ) password you have in a
| single file, _readable to every executable your run under
| your account._ And that means you're one exfil away from
| not only getting your SSH keys compromised, but also
| allowing an attacker to run an offline decryption attack
| with unlimited attempts. This invariably leads to your main
| password getting compromised.
|
| Instead, set up SSH certificates, MFA, Yubikey, or
| TPM/Enclave storage for your private keys.
| yjftsjthsd-h wrote:
| > You probably use an easy-to-remember password on SSH
| keys since you have to type them often
|
| No, use ssh-agent and decrypt once per boot.
|
| > Instead, set up SSH certificates, MFA, Yubikey, or
| TPM/Enclave storage for your private keys.
|
| Granted, I agree with this, too.
| bityard wrote:
| > but also allowing an attacker to run an offline
| decryption attack with unlimited attempts. This
| invariably leads to your main password getting
| compromised.
|
| Do the OpenSSH authors not know about PKBDF2 or similar?
| saidinesh5 wrote:
| Yep, just did.. A lot of those devices don't even exist
| anymore but the keys exist lol.
| pelagicAustral wrote:
| > JuiceSSH used to be the best SSH client available on Android
| until December 2025.
|
| Really? I always gave that award to Termius, which is kind of my
| second best behind Servercat which I miss very dearly from the
| iOS environment.
| Arrowmaster wrote:
| One was a one time purchase, the other requires a
| subscription.... The answer should be clear.
| anonova wrote:
| Local-only usage of Termius is free and doesn't even require
| logging in to the service. I've been using it like this for
| years.
| esseph wrote:
| Really great terminal app that I used in Android for a very long
| time with some interesting features.
|
| Also, Mosh shell support for sshing in degraded connection
| environments!
| khanan wrote:
| Replaced JuiceSSH two years ago with ConnectBOT
| (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.connectbot...)
| as a "free" alternative. Never looked back.
| genpfault wrote:
| > ConnectBot
|
| https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.connectbot/
|
| https://github.com/connectbot/connectbot
| muppetman wrote:
| Not trying to defend the developer here but they went really
| silent once before like this. Then came out of the gate with a
| bunch of updates and new features. I'm hoping they've just got
| really busy with life, I know when I emailed them before they
| have been responsive and helpful. I mean hell they might have
| died? Does the Store have a process for this? This app has been
| around a long time so I don't understand the rugpull comments.
| Also the syned keys are (supposedly, I guess we don't have the
| source) encrypted so even if the dev is no longer active that
| aspect should be secure I hope.
|
| My Pro features still seem to be working for me. EDIT: No, I see
| now that Cloud Sync isn't a thing anymore. Looks like it's really
| lost its backend servers.
| josephcsible wrote:
| > I don't understand the rugpull comments.
|
| The article says "the purchase made in 2019 is not recognized
| anymore". The seller unilaterally taking back something you
| previously bought, especially without a refund, is a rug pull.
| bspammer wrote:
| [delayed]
| 1f60c wrote:
| This is pretty interesting but why not just pay the 20 bucks?
| __float wrote:
| The second paragraph explains this: they already have paid, and
| some people have paid [again], but their purchase is not
| accepted.
| blibble wrote:
| I would not use an SSH client written by someone that feels
| it's OK to break the terms of the contract this way
|
| who knows what's coming next?
| user3939382 wrote:
| The SSH deal has been altered. Pray I don't alter it any
| further. csshck hoh.
| dcdc123 wrote:
| The issue is people that already paid lost their pro features
| unless they pay _again_.
| awill wrote:
| There are just fewer highly polished Android apps vs iOS apps,
| and that's why I switched to iOS.
|
| I bought JuiceSSH years ago on Android and it worked great, but I
| agree it's degraded, and I couldn't find an equivalent I liked.
|
| iOS has multiple apps that beat JuiceSSH. I use Termix and it's
| really, really good.
| Grimblewald wrote:
| > juice is best ssh for android
|
| I am not contending truth here, but also I have never even tried
| / considered anything outside of termux + unexpected keyboard,
| and I can't imagine anything improving my experience.
|
| what makes juicessh so good? I guess I'm asking for a "Convince
| me to try it" style review of juice.
| opan wrote:
| I used JuiceSSH many years ago, had the Pro version when it was
| briefly free once. I've used Termux for years now and it seems
| better to me. You can set up ssh keys and aliases like usual,
| multihop works. I think I used to use Hacker's Keyboard but now
| I use AnySoftKeyboard since it had better alt layout support
| (e.g. Dvorak, Workman). I've got a row at the top with ctrl,
| tab, arrows, esc... It even works to do C-a, C-c, C-v in other
| apps. I'd recommend the combo. All available from F-Droid.
| jojomodding wrote:
| For me it's mostly that it just works and was very easy to set
| up when I first used it.
| nottorp wrote:
| I believe Google will cut off that avenue soon...
| tiagod wrote:
| I've been using this app for years. A couple months I needed to
| use forwarding, which is a Pro feature.
|
| I thought I already bought it years ago, but the app asked me to
| pay so I bought it again. It instantly locked me out of the whole
| app. Later I checked and I had bought pro already in 2014 (for
| 5EUR, and I paid 30EUR this time). Absolutely no answer to my
| emails.
|
| Thanks for the instructions.
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2026-01-26 23:00 UTC)