Last updated: 2026-05-25

Android Installation

Install Hi Term on your Android phone and pair it with your PC.

Prerequisites:

  1. PC has run hiterm pair and is displaying a QR code
  2. Phone has Tailscale installed and logged into the same account

System Requirements

Item Requirement
OS Android 7.0+ (API 24)
Architecture arm64-v8a
Required app Tailscale (installed and logged in)

Download & Install

Not yet on Google Play. Download the APK manually:

https://hiterm.yinbin.ink/download

Install methods:

  • Option 1: Open the link in your phone's browser and download directly
  • Option 2: Transfer the APK via USB or messaging app

Allow Installing Unknown Apps

Android 8.0+: Settings โ†’ Security โ†’ Install unknown apps โ†’ Select your browser or file manager โ†’ Allow

Android 14+: Settings โ†’ Apps โ†’ Find the app you used for downloading โ†’ Install unknown apps โ†’ Allow

Scan QR to Pair

  1. Make sure PC has run hiterm pair and is displaying a QR code
  2. Open Hi Term
  3. Tap the scan button ๐Ÿ“ท (camera permission required on first use)
  4. Scan the QR code on your PC terminal
  5. Pairing completes automatically (~3 seconds)

During pairing, the phone will:

  1. Generate an SSH key pair
  2. Send the public key to your PC via Tailscale
  3. Save the host info to the host list

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: QR codes expire after 10 minutes. Re-run hiterm pair on your PC if needed.

Why These Components?

HiTerm's core experience relies on three key technologies:

Technology Analogy Role Without it?
Tailscale Teleporter Connects phone and PC in a virtual network Can't connect
mosh Voice chat Keeps connection alive during network switches Frequent drops on subway/elevator
tmux Recorder Tasks keep running after disconnect Work lost on disconnect

Why not just SSH?

  • SSH is like a phone call โ€” drops on bad signal, need to redial
  • Mosh is like voice chat โ€” switches networks seamlessly, auto-reconnects

Using the App

Connect to Your PC

After pairing, your PC appears in the host list. Tap to connect.

Connection flow:

  1. Phone connects to PC's Tailscale IP
  2. Mosh establishes a mobile-optimized connection
  3. Auto-attach to tmux session (or create a new one)
  4. Terminal interface appears

Terminal Features

  • โœ… Full color output
  • โœ… Standard keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Z, etc.)
  • โœ… tmux session management
  • โœ… Mouse input (if tmux mouse mode is configured)

Session Management

tmux sessions live on your PC and survive phone disconnects:

# List all sessions
tmux ls

# Switch to a session
tmux attach -t my-project

# Detach from session (keep running)
Ctrl+B, d

Reconnecting

If disconnected (phone sleep, network switch, etc.):

  1. Open the app
  2. Tap the same host
  3. Auto-resume to your previous tmux session

No re-pairing needed. No re-scanning needed.

Notifications & Auto-Sync

After logging in (hiterm login), your devices sync automatically.

Auto IP Sync

When your PC's network changes (e.g., home to coffee shop), HiTerm pushes the new IP to your phone automatically.

How to trigger sync:

  • Automatic: When an AI tool (Claude Code, etc.) triggers a notification
  • Manual: Run hiterm notify test on your PC

AI Tool Notifications

When long-running tasks finish (e.g., Claude Code generating code), your phone gets a notification:

  • Shows project name and result summary
  • Tap the notification to jump to the terminal
  • No need to watch the screen

See User Guide - Notifications.

FAQ

Can't scan the QR code?

  • Confirm PC is running hiterm pair
  • Confirm camera permission is granted
  • Confirm phone Tailscale is connected

Connection failed?

  • Confirm PC sshd is running
  • Confirm both devices are online in Tailscale
  • Run hiterm doctor on PC

How to update the app?

Download the latest APK and install directly โ€” it overwrites the old version.

Can I pair with multiple PCs?

Yes. Each hiterm pair adds a new PC to the host list.

Does it work without Tailscale?

No. Tailscale is HiTerm's core networking foundation. See Tailscale Setup.

Next Steps