How to run the latest Models on Android with a UI

Termux is a terminal emulator that allows Android devices to run a Linux environment without needing root access. It’s available for free and can be downloaded from the Termux GitHub page. Get the Beta version.

After launching Termux, follow these steps to set up the environment:

Grant Storage Access:

termux-setup-storage

This command lets Termux access your Android device’s storage, enabling easier file management.

Update Packages:

pkg upgrade

Enter Y when prompted to update Termux and all installed packages.

Install Essential Tools:

pkg install git cmake golang

These packages include Git for version control, CMake for building software, and Go, the programming language in which Ollama is written.

Ollama is a platform for running large models locally. Here’s how to install and set it up:

Clone Ollama's GitHub Repository:

git clone https://github.com/ollama/ollama.git

Navigate to the Ollama Directory:

cd ollama

Generate Go Code:

go generate ./...

Build Ollama:

go build .

Start Ollama Server:

./ollama serve &

Now the Ollama server will run in the background, allowing you to interact with the models.

Download and Run the lfm2.5-thinking model 731MB:

./ollama run lfm2.5-thinking

Download and Run the qwen3.5:2b model 2.7GB:

./ollama run qwen3.5:2b

But can run any model from ollama.com just check its size as that is how much RAM it will use.

I am testing on a Sony Xperia 1 II running LineageOS, a 6 year old device and can run 7b models on it.

UI for it: https://github.com/JHubi1/ollama-app

Once all setup to start the server again in Termux run:

cd ollama
./ollama serve &