Using python and matplotlib on android

Question

Is there a way to set up python 2.7.x + matplotlib on an android tablet so that you can run simple standard python code? I would like to be able to run the same scripts I run on my Linux desktop. This is just for my own use and I don't need to distribute the code to anyone else.

As a concrete example, is it possible to run this script?

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.arange(0, 5, 0.1);
y = np.sin(x)
plt.plot(x, y)

Answer 1

Is it easy, no.

Can it be done? Yes. I believe a skilled Python / Android developer could do it in 2 to 8 hours of effort.. It's a rare and complex request.

Why do I think it can be done? This sample: http://matplotlib.org/examples/pylab_examples/webapp_demo.html

Using a different library, and not abstracted for data without live hardware, this sample shows me that SL4A can do web-based graphics: http://www.smartphonedaq.com/android-python-ecg.page

Now, if you were talking native GUI graphics in Android - then I'm focused way too much on the web methods of publishing with SL4A ;)

Answer 2

Pydroid is great for Matplotlib on Android, supports Numpy and many other libraries:

Pydroid for Python 2.7

Pydroid 3 for Python 3.6

Answer 3

There is an app called Gnuroot that allows you to run a kind-of chroot (proot), where you can install a linux distro such as debian, archlinux...
For the gui, there is the option to run a vncserver for an X server and use some android vnc client app to show the screen.

I use the non-gui version of gnuroot and it works well. I now have a command line debian wheezy on android lollipop arm. One minor thing i miss, is armhf (hardware floating point which my nexus7's processor can do) support instead of armel (software floating point).