Android 15 update kills Termux on OnePlus and Oppo phones

Update 18/11/24: It looks like OnePlus has fixed the issue that broke Termux with its latest ColorOS 15 update for the OnePlus 13 in China, so global OxygenOS 15 users can also expect the fix to roll out in the near future.

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If you’re a Termux user or even a Winlator aficionado running Linux-like environments on your Android phone, you might want to pause before hitting “Update” to Android 15 on your OnePlus or Oppo device. Users across OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15 and Oppo’s ColorOS 15 are reporting major issues with running Termux after upgrading to Android 15. And it’s not just a minor hiccup — your terminal emulator could be rendered practically unusable.

The Android 15 rollout has been mostly smooth on flagship devices like the Google Pixel 9, which continues to play well with Termux and other emulators. However, for OnePlus and Oppo users, the story has been different. As soon as Termux is launched on OxygenOS 15 or ColorOS 15, processes are immediately killed, with a “signal 9” error message flashing on the screen. This isn’t just a rare bug — it’s been consistent since the beta days, and users have tried everything from disabling system process monitors to using stable and beta versions of Termux. Unfortunately, nothing works.

The issue also extends to other apps like Winlator, which similarly relies on proot to emulate a Linux environment. On these devices, Winlator is flagged as potentially malicious software, even though it’s safe and works perfectly well on other Android versions. Users are reporting a frustrating security popup that claims the app attempted to damage the phone, followed by an instant shutdown of the process. While this may seem like an overactive security measure, it’s actually preventing Termux and similar apps from running altogether.

So what’s causing this? It appears that the latest updates to OxygenOS 15 and ColorOS 15 based on Android 15 have tightened up the process-monitoring and sandboxing mechanisms that detect “unusual” system calls — core to what makes Termux and Winlator function. Unfortunately, this seems to be flagging legitimate emulation behavior as malicious, especially for processes relying on proot and related Linux subsystems.

The Termux development team has issued an official warning to OnePlus and Oppo users about the incompatibility with Android 15, strongly advising against updating to OxygenOS 15 or ColorOS 15 for anyone relying on the app. The warning, posted on Reddit, X, and GitHub, explains that Termux processes will be forcibly terminated upon launch, resulting in a “signal 9” error. This issue, which disabling phantom process monitoring cannot fix, affects all apps that depend on proot-based environments. Termux developers note that the problem is unique to OnePlus, Oppo, and related BBK Electronics brands, such as Realme, while other Android 15 devices, including Google’s Pixel line, remain unaffected.

For OnePlus and Oppo fans, this update could be a big setback, especially if you rely on Termux for everything from file management and programming to remote server administration or running basic Linux scripts. And since there’s no known fix yet, downgrading to Android 14 or avoiding the update entirely might be the best option if you rely heavily on Termux or similar apps.

For now, unless OnePlus and Oppo address this restrictive process-killing approach in a future patch, this Android 15 update might feel like a step back for the advanced user community on these devices. If your day isn’t complete without some Linux commands on the go, you may want to wait and see if these issues get ironed out before committing to Android 15.