Why use nix-on-droid now that Android 16 has a native Linux terminal?

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I just got my first Android phone after years on iPhone, and I’m exploring ways to use it as a lightweight dev environment.

Now that Android 16 has a native Linux terminal, I’m wondering: why would someone still choose nix-on-droid?

It seems like the main alternatives now are:

  • just use the built-in Debian AVF environment and install Nix / Home Manager there
  • use nixos-avf

So compared to those, what does nix-on-droid still offer?

EDIT: I should add that I’m using a Pixel 10 Pro. I think some other devices still don’t have good support for AVF, in which cases nix-on-droid is still needed.

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Does a typical Nix installation process require root permissions?

Does that Android 16 Linux environment allow root?

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Yes, we have root access inside the VM. It’s running full Debian out of the box. You can change it to nixos using GitHub - nix-community/nixos-avf: NixOS for Android Terminal (Android Virtualization Framework) [maintainers=@mkg20001] · GitHub

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