Free installer app
Pycharm is a free installer app by developer Mrognor. You’d be pardoned if you thought this app would be similar to other coding apps for Android, such as PowerApps. In reality, this app has nothing to do with PyCharm by JetBrains, which isn’t available (at least natively) for Android.
Pycharm aims to allow the properly-capitalised PyCharm to be installed in your system. This feat requires a lot of hands-on experience and understanding of Android, Android’s terminal emulator Termux, and other tech skills. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
Given the name similarities, it’s important to stress this once more: pycharm is not PyCharm; it’s just an installer that may or may not allow you to use PyCharm on your Android device. As such, it offers no extra features except for allowing you to try installing the popular Python coding app on your phone.
Just an installer
However, there are reasons why PyCharm isn’t available for phones. Writing code on a smartphone is cumbersome at best, and the interface isn’t designed for small screens. Additionally, there are technical reasons why this isn’t ideal. Still, if you are desperate to code on the go with your phone, you can take your chances with this app.
Complicated steps
Alone, pycharm doesn’t do anything. You need to install Termux too, which is an Android terminal emulator. Together with Termux, you’ll need to follow a series of complicated steps and then install VNC Viewer to connect to the local host.
Since you need to use commands to open the “real” PyCharm, you need to use Termux once again to start pycharm. Needless to say, many things can fail and usually do, according to the many user reviews.
Not worth it
If the complicated steps described earlier didn’t turn you off, remember they’re just a taster of the real deal. Any coder knows the plethora of issues that can happen when simply trying to install libraries on a normal PC or Mac setup, so installing PyCharm this way is best left for the adventurous ones.
Even if you manage to do it successfully, there’s little value in it. Typing on phones is a hassle; coding requiring perfect syntax is even worse. Some apps offer pre-written code and expressions to solve this, but since PyCharm isn’t Android-native, you’re likely to have a terrible experience.
