[How to] use Blanket in Android device with Termux

[archisman-panigrahi]

There is a way to use Blanket in almost any Android device.

Summary:

• Install Termux in Android
• Install rootfs for your favorite distro (I tried Ubuntu 20.04, but others should work too).
• Install a DE
• Set up VNC Server
• Install Blanket
• Set up sound

Demonstration - Youtube video

Details

1. Install Termux from F-Droid or Play Store (Google Play version of Termux is not anymore updated).
2. Install Ubuntu 20.04 with proot in Termux. I used Andronix to automate the process.
3. Now install a desktop environment (XFCE worked for me), and set up a VNC server (Andronix can automate these tasks for you). To start a new XFCE session, enter the command vncserver-start.
4. Install a VNC viewer app in Android, e.g. androidVNC, or VNC viewer.
5. Install Blanket (I used the stable PPA in Ubuntu)

add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/blanket
apt update
apt install blanket

6. Exit Ubuntu, and set up sound in Termux shell (not inside Ubuntu)

 pkg install wget && wget https://andronixos.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/OS-Files/setup-audio.sh && chmod +x setup-audio.sh && ./setup-audio.sh

To run Blanket after installation

Once installation is done,

• Open Termux
• Start Ubuntu
• Enter the command pulseaudio --start in a new Termux session (not in the Ubuntu session)
• Start VNC Server
• Open VNC viewer app in Android, and open Blanket
• When closing, turn off the vncserver (vncserver-stop) in Ubuntu shell, and then close ubuntu (exit in Termux shell).
  If you forget to close vncserver before closing Ubuntu, you may have to manually remove the lockfile for vncserver, before you can start VNCServer once again.

Additional tips/comments:

• You can set a custom resolution, which suites your screen size. For me, the fonts were too small with the default (1900x1200) resolution, and I changed it to 1500x700 in my 6.5 inch phone.
• You can also appropriately set the custom resolution to fit your device in portrait mode (eg. 700x1500)
• Ubuntu + XFCE consumes ~ 1.2 GB of storage, and 300 MB of RAM. It may be less if you use a window manager like i3 instead of XFCE, but I have not tried that.
• You can install your favorite GTK theme.

Why Ubuntu?

I used an Ubuntu rootfs due to its relatively less download size, and because there I won't have to build from source as the PPA is available.
Feel free to add workarounds for your favorite distro in subsequent comments.

[rafaelmardojai]

Really nice!

[archisman-panigrahi]

@rafaelmardojai I found a similar FOSS project for Android. It has a sleep timer and a wake up timer.
https://noice.ashutosh.blog/
https://github.com/ashutoshgngwr/noice
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.ashutoshgngwr.noice/

[rafaelmardojai]

@apandada1 Looks like a nice reference to improve Blanket.

[lamyergeier]

Please if possible provide it as an app on Android