v1.4.2

Installation & Upgrade

Choose the right APK, install Throne for Android, upgrade from 1.x or NekoBox, and keep it up to date.

Throne for Android needs Android 7.0 or newer. It runs on phones, tablets and Android TV.

Choose the right APK

Each release has one APK per processor type (ABI):

APK Typical devices
Throne-<version>-arm64-v8a.apk Almost all phones and tablets from recent years
Throne-<version>-armeabi-v7a.apk Older 32-bit phones, many Android TV boxes and sticks
Throne-<version>-x86_64.apk Emulators, some Chromebooks and PCs

What counts is the Android system, not the processor: many TV boxes have a 64-bit processor but run 32-bit Android, so they need armeabi-v7a. With adb, this command prints the ABI:

adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi

If you are not sure, try arm64-v8a. If Android does not install it, use armeabi-v7a.

Download and verify

Download the APK from Downloads or from the GitHub releases. To check that the file is intact (optional), put it in one folder with the release's SHA256SUMS file and run:

sha256sum -c --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS

It must print OK for your file. On macOS, run shasum -a 256 Throne-2.0.6-arm64-v8a.apk, on Windows Get-FileHash .\Throne-2.0.6-arm64-v8a.apk -Algorithm SHA256, and compare the checksum with the line for your file in SHA256SUMS.

Install

If Throne for Android 1.x is installed, read Upgrading from 1.x or NekoBox first.

  1. Open the downloaded APK.
  2. If Android blocks the installation, tap Settings in the message and turn on Allow from this source. On Android 7, turn on Unknown sources in Android's security settings instead.
  3. Go back and tap Install.
  4. Open Throne and answer the first-start questions. See Permissions & Background.

For Android TV, see Android TV.

Upgrading from 1.x or NekoBox

Throne for Android 2.0.0 and later are signed with a new key and use a new data format. Android cannot install them over 1.x, they start with no profiles, groups or settings, and they cannot restore old backups (throne_backup_….json and WebDAV .zip files), only .thrbackup files.

  1. In the old app, copy the URL of each subscription: drawer → Group, tap the edit button (pencil) of the group and copy Subscription Link. Do not use Share Subscription: it copies an sn:// link that the new app cannot read.
  2. Export the profiles that do not come from a subscription: the group's menu → Export → Export to file. WireGuard, SSH, ShadowTLS, Mieru, chain and custom-config profiles are exported as sn:// links, which cannot be imported, so note their settings.
  3. If you use Throne desktop with the same profiles, you can instead create a backup there and restore it on the phone. See Moving between desktop and Android.
  4. Uninstall the old app and install the new one.
  5. Add your subscriptions again (Add profile → Import from clipboard → Create new subscription group), import the exported file (Add profile → Import from file), or restore the desktop backup (drawer → Tools → Restore).

The original NekoBox for Android has a different package name, so Throne installs next to it. Throne cannot read its data or backups: move your subscriptions by their links.

In-app updater

The builds from GitHub update themselves:

  1. Open About in the drawer and tap Check for updates.
  2. If a newer version exists, tap Update.
  3. The first time, Throne asks for permission to install apps. Tap Open settings, allow it and go back.
  4. Throne downloads and checks the APK. Confirm the installation when Android asks.

The connection stops while the app is replaced and starts again afterwards.

In Settings → General → Updates, Check for updates daily notifies you of new versions, and Allow updating to beta versions also offers pre-releases from the GitHub releases page. Both are off by default.

Android installs an update only when it is signed with the same key as the installed app. A build from another source and a GitHub build therefore cannot update each other. To switch, create a backup (drawer → Tools → Create backup), uninstall the app, install the other build and restore the backup. For updater errors, see Update problems.

Throne for Android is not on F-Droid yet (#37).

Preview builds

Preview builds have the newest changes and are meant for testing, so they can have bugs. The developers build one by hand when they need testers. It is attached to its GitHub Actions run for 14 days, and downloading it needs a GitHub account.

A preview has its own package name, com.nb4a.throne.debug, so it installs next to the stable app with its own profiles and settings. It does not update itself, and the in-app updater does not offer it. In adb commands and automation apps, use com.nb4a.throne.debug instead of com.nb4a.throne.