JuiceSSH – Give me my pro features back(nproject.io)
219 pointsby jandeboevrie9 hours ago25 comments
  • cube003 hours ago
    Support is unresponsive, this looks like an exit scam.

    Finally this is getting traction after leaving many of us out of pocket.

    Both developers [1] are working in management at Microsoft and AWS while ignoring emails, leaving JuiceSSH to rot because they couldn't be bothered to wrap up cleanly (refund, release a final update with pro features enabled, release the source code etc.)

    Paul Maddox [2]: Director - Cloud & AI Solutions Engineering @ Microsoft - last reposted a month ago

    Tom Maddox [3]: Head of AWS Solutions Architecture for Local Markets - last commented two months ago

    Don't bother going back to Google either. A Play store "support specialist" just told me:

    I tried to create a refund request but its not allowing to create one since the date of the transaction is out of our refund policy as we can only process refunds for up to 120 days only after the transaction was charged.

    [1]: https://juicessh.com/about or https://sonelli.com/about

    [2]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-maddox

    [3]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-maddox-87236b27

    • opello2 hours ago
      The about link above gave a Cloudfront-looking failure, but the base domain here worked and is where the app help link takes me, albeit to /faq:

      https://sonelli.com/

      I reactivated my license a few months ago using the in-app functionality but I'm not quite sure when I'm afraid.

  • tiagod5 hours ago
    I've been using this app for years. A couple months I needed to use forwarding, which is a Pro feature.

    I thought I already bought it years ago, but the app asked me to pay so I bought it again. It instantly locked me out of the whole app. Later I checked and I had bought pro already in 2014 (for 5€, and I paid 30€ this time). Absolutely no answer to my emails.

    Thanks for the instructions.

    • smileybarry3 hours ago
      If you haven't already, you can ask Google for a refund on that (the second, recent) in-app purchase:

      https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/15574897?hl=en

      The policies are "up to 48 hrs after purchase" but I'm sure "purchase does not work at all" is an exception. (It is on iOS)

      • cube003 hours ago
        > I'm sure "purchase does not work at all" is an exception

        Nope, a Play store "support specialist" just told me: "I tried to create a refund request but its not allowing to create one since the date of the transaction is out of our refund policy as we can only process refunds for up to 120 days only after the transaction was charged."

        • windexh8er2 hours ago
          Your credit card company will reverse it for you. A non-working product with unanswered emails will allow you to easily get your money back while also giving the middle finger to Google.
          • derefr2 hours ago
            I believe that will result in Google locking you out of your Google account, including Gmail, YouTube, any Google Cloud projects, etc.
            • 2 hours ago
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            • denkmoonan hour ago
              This is exactly what will happen, you have no recourse. Technofeudalism is real.
              • windexh8er3 minutes ago
                I've done it in the past (~2015). Honestly if Google locked me out of all of those other purchases it'd be great grounds to sue them. If everyone started doing this it would prevent them from doing this in the first place and may be additional fodder for (hopefully) continued anti-trust losses in court. If your life is tied to Google in that way then it's a risk no matter what you do and you should probably think about how to reduce that risk. I don't have anything other than purchases tied to my Google accounts anymore.
      • stavros3 hours ago
        I've never succeeded on getting a refund with Google. There were a few apps that tricked me into buying a subscription (namely Musescore and Yazio), I immediately asked Google for a refund because I didn't actually get what I thought I was getting, and they denied me both times.

        Now I just don't buy anything on the Play store that I can't afford to just be outright scammed on.

        • tomrod41 minutes ago
          Two that I lost on play store:

          1. World of Goo. Bought by Netflix, sunsetted, can't install old versions anymore

          2. Monopoly. Bought by EA. Sunsetted/renamed to zzzMonopoly. Can't install old versions anymore.

          FDroid has my attention since these happened.

        • zx80802 hours ago
          Was you able to eventually unsunbcribe from Musescore?
          • stavros2 hours ago
            Yes, I could unsubscribe from both easily, but I wanted a refund because I couldn't use the subscriptions.
    • TheRoquean hour ago
      Why would you pay for such feature ? Termux is basically a small Linux in your pocket and has anything you'd ever need regarding SSH
  • Grimblewald5 hours ago
    > juice is best ssh for android

    I am not contending truth here, but also I have never even tried / considered anything outside of termux + unexpected keyboard, and I can't imagine anything improving my experience.

    what makes juicessh so good? I guess I'm asking for a "Convince me to try it" style review of juice.

    • opan4 hours ago
      I used JuiceSSH many years ago, had the Pro version when it was briefly free once. I've used Termux for years now and it seems better to me. You can set up ssh keys and aliases like usual, multihop works. I think I used to use Hacker's Keyboard but now I use AnySoftKeyboard since it had better alt layout support (e.g. Dvorak, Workman). I've got a row at the top with ctrl, tab, arrows, esc... It even works to do C-a, C-c, C-v in other apps. I'd recommend the combo. All available from F-Droid.
      • wolvoleo2 hours ago
        Yes I use termux too. What I love is that everything works that works on a normal computer too. And the same way. Even ssh keys on yubikeys work great with open keychain and okcagent.
    • petesoper2 hours ago
      "I guess I'm asking for a "Convince me to try it" style review of juice" Notice this is about juicessh becoming unusable and no longer having any support. That should satisfy you.
    • jojomodding4 hours ago
      For me it's mostly that it just works and was very easy to set up when I first used it.
    • ycombinatrix3 hours ago
      It has an SSH focused GUI which can be more convenient
  • sowbug8 hours ago
    I haven't used my Pro purchase in years, but if I did want to ssh from my phone today, I'd use the newish Terminal app, available since Android 15. It's a full Debian virtual machine.
    • wilsonnb37 hours ago
      I don’t think it is that widely available due to Snapdragon chips not supporting some feature it requires.

      Good option for Pixel owners or phones with MediaTek chips though.

      • fulafel7 hours ago
        Apparently it's about software, not hardware - Qualcomm recommends running Android under a virtual machine (which lacks nested virtualization support).
        • mcbridematt2 hours ago
          IIRC Qualcomm smartphone SoCs have always run some kind of hypervisor, I believe it's to allow partitioning of the CPU cores with the modem/DSP.

          They used to (mid-late 2000s) use an L4 derivative ("REX"?), with the more recent chips (including the 'X' series for PCs) using their homegrown "Gunyah" hypervisor (https://github.com/quic/gunyah-hypervisor)

        • 2 hours ago
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        • superb_dev5 hours ago
          Is this for real? Do you have any more info on this? It seems crazy to me given how popular their chips are and how many problems I’d imagine this creates
          • pierrec2 hours ago
            It shouldn't be problematic if the processor supports it well. For example modern Windows is always running as a VM and people are barely aware of that.
            • superb_devan hour ago
              That’s a good point, I forgot windows typically runs on top of hyperV
          • asutor5 hours ago
            Using an S24 here and yeah, not available with Android 16
            • wolvoleoan hour ago
              But the S24 wasn't Qualcomm but Exynos. Weird.
      • chasil5 hours ago
        I run LineageOS on both a Pixel 3a XL and a OnePlus 5. Yes, these both run Snapdragons.

        The option to install the subsystem is present on both, but I have not attempted it.

        I have loaded it onto a Pixel 6a running Graphene.

        • TheRoquean hour ago
          The option is available, but it probably won't work (show some error that the chip should allow unsecure VMs)
    • preisschild6 hours ago
      Or termux, which doesnt use a VM
      • gruez5 hours ago
        Yeah, another vote for Termux. The linux VM ends up being a bit laggy because it's actually a webview that renders a terminal, that's connected to the VM. More importantly though, the soft keyboard support is totally broken, so if you try to backspace more characters than you've typed, it won't let you. That sucks if do something like:

        1. type some command, hit enter

        2. hit up to edit it (because you typoed something)

        3. can't backspace because the soft keyboard thinks there's nothing to delete

        • preisschild4 hours ago
          Ive always considered termux the more elegant option for userspace programs than the android terminal debian vm. I just wished android had the permission api to create user namespaces (containers) in termux
    • sunnyam8 hours ago
      Do you mean Termux? I can't find any other Terminal app with a similar name
      • saidinesh58 hours ago
        No Android started bundling a terminal app recently:

        https://itsfoss.com/news/google-android-linux-terminal-rollo...

        • domh7 hours ago
          Huh, I did not know this. This is also present on GrapheneOS too! (I'm installing it now)
          • fmajid7 hours ago
            It is extremely flaky on GrapheneOS, at least on my Pixel 8 Pro. Just typing Ctrl-D to exit will corrupt it, requiring a full reinstallation of the Debian VM
      • simlevesque8 hours ago
        Enable Developper Options. It should be in the Developer menu. It's a toggle that'll enable this apk.
        • ndom917 hours ago
          Is this available outside of Pixels? I still can't find it on my OnePlus 13 running Android 16 with Jan security updates
          • cmehdy6 hours ago
            The option exists on Samsung phones but is greyed out and crashes if you force it via adb. It is also marked as experimental.
          • yonatan80705 hours ago
            I believe it relies on some virtualization extensions Google's CPUs have, which most phone SoCs don't support.
          • prmoustache5 hours ago
            It is buggy as hell anyway.
        • seszett7 hours ago
          Honestly I don't find it more useful than Termux, especially for being so much heavier.
          • cogman107 hours ago
            Just because I was curious.

            Termux is doing a container. The android terminal is doing a virtual machine. That's the difference.

            Termux would definitely be the light weight option, but you will be pinned to whatever version of the kernel your device is shipped with (may be a bit old.)

            • yjftsjthsd-h7 hours ago
              No, termux isn't a container, it's running directly in userspace on the host. The only weird thing is that because it's running directly on the host, it has to be built to use unusual paths, eg. /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash instead of /usr/bin/bash. If it used containers (which IIRC it can't because Android doesn't really support it) that would actually be easier because then it could use a chroot to make the paths look normal.
              • cogman106 hours ago
                Ah, well that stinks a little. I guess it makes sense, if android doesn't mandate a few kernel settings then working with containers might not be an option.
              • skissane4 hours ago
                Couldn’t it implement a “fake chroot” by e.g. creating its own libc which wraps the real one but with path remapping, and then linking all its executables against that?
                • yjftsjthsd-han hour ago
                  That would only work for things that use libc (so eg. most Go programs are probably not going to work). The main way that you can do an unprivileged fake chroot is proot, which termux does offer - see https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/PRoot - but that has a significant performance hit.
            • seszett4 hours ago
              > you will be pinned to whatever version of the kernel your device is shipped with

              That doesn't matter much for using SSH though.

              For running more complex Linux programs or scripts Termux is indeed less comfortable (but it can still work).

  • cremp8 hours ago
    This might be a good plug for Morphie or Revanced patches to automate the patch process.
    • nfriedly5 hours ago
      I'm a big fan of Revanced, but I haven't heard of Morphie - do you have a link for it? (I tried searching, but all I'm coming up with are cosmetics, chargers, and an IRC app.)

      Edit: found it: https://morphe.software/ - looks like it's sort of an offshoot of ReVanced that only supports Youtube at the moment.

      And, for those who weren't aware of ReVanced, see https://revanced.app/ - it was originally just a tweaked version of the YouTube app called Vanced (an "advanced" YouTube app, but without the "ad"s ;) - but now it's a tool that can patch a bunch of different apps.

  • InMicean hour ago
    I like Termius a lot better than JuiceSSH. Move on, you won't miss it.
  • TheRoquean hour ago
    I quickly dropped JuiceSSH when I discovered Termux. And I also find it way easier to use the way I want to, and flexible.
  • ggm2 hours ago
    Thank you for reminding me about risks of cloud key storage. I think I better go wipe my .ssh/ states and re-work things to a modern keypair.

    I think ed25519 would be both shorter sigs in authorised_keys and definitely NOT what I used "back then"

  • aposm3 hours ago
    Yikes. I also just noticed that all the plugins (part of the pro feature set) rely on separate apk downloads from the Play Store, which all appear to be dead/delisted. This is really a shame, I too have thought of this as "the best" Android SSH client in the past.
  • gorkish3 hours ago
    Just a cynical observation here, but its funny how the author still hangs onto the notion that it is "the best" despite that it de facto cannot be "the best."

    Also, maybe dont rely on a poorly maintained app for making secure connections to your systems? Just me?

  • saidinesh58 hours ago
    Wow. Thanks for this. I haven't logged into Juice SSH in years, but i thought it had all my ssh keys backed up in the cloud.
    • znpy7 hours ago
      I’d start rotating those keys asap… you’re one breach away from a security nightmare
      • saidinesh55 hours ago
        Yep, just did.. A lot of those devices don't even exist anymore but the keys exist lol.
      • graemep7 hours ago
        You should encrypt your ssh keys anyway, and you should encrypt anything sensitive you are backing up to a cloud.
        • trey-jones7 hours ago
          Private keys should never leave the device where they are created.
          • graemep6 hours ago
            So no backups?
            • Tuna-Fish5 hours ago
              Correct. Private keys should never be backed up. Instead, should you need a backup, you should create a distinct key for that purpose.
              • TurdF3rguson4 hours ago
                That's a great plan until you're locked out of all your devices with no backup.
                • derefr2 hours ago
                  I think the implication is that you should own multiple client devices capable of SSHing into things, each with their own SSH keypair; and every SSH host you interact with should have multiple of your devices’ keypairs registered to it.
            • leni5365 hours ago
              You can have backup private keys, they don't have to be copies of some other private keys.
        • 9dev7 hours ago
          Actually, you shouldn’t. You probably use an easy-to-remember password on SSH keys since you have to type them often, but that also means you’re storing one of your (let’s face it, the primary) password you have in a single file, readable to every executable your run under your account. And that means you’re one exfil away from not only getting your SSH keys compromised, but also allowing an attacker to run an offline decryption attack with unlimited attempts. This invariably leads to your main password getting compromised.

          Instead, set up SSH certificates, MFA, Yubikey, or TPM/Enclave storage for your private keys.

          • yjftsjthsd-h7 hours ago
            > You probably use an easy-to-remember password on SSH keys since you have to type them often

            No, use ssh-agent and decrypt once per boot.

            > Instead, set up SSH certificates, MFA, Yubikey, or TPM/Enclave storage for your private keys.

            Granted, I agree with this, too.

          • bityard4 hours ago
            > but also allowing an attacker to run an offline decryption attack with unlimited attempts. This invariably leads to your main password getting compromised.

            Do the OpenSSH authors not know about PKBDF2 or similar?

  • khanan7 hours ago
    Replaced JuiceSSH two years ago with ConnectBOT (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.connectbot...) as a "free" alternative. Never looked back.
  • PortableCode8 hours ago
    smali code is funny to read, basically an object-oriented assembly language (feels so wrong)
  • FAFOAlexan hour ago
    Never trust "app" devs. I paid for less than 1% of mine.
  • muppetman7 hours ago
    Not trying to defend the developer here but they went really silent once before like this. Then came out of the gate with a bunch of updates and new features. I'm hoping they've just got really busy with life, I know when I emailed them before they have been responsive and helpful. I mean hell they might have died? Does the Store have a process for this? This app has been around a long time so I don't understand the rugpull comments. Also the syned keys are (supposedly, I guess we don't have the source) encrypted so even if the dev is no longer active that aspect should be secure I hope.

    My Pro features still seem to be working for me. EDIT: No, I see now that Cloud Sync isn't a thing anymore. Looks like it's really lost its backend servers.

    • josephcsible5 hours ago
      > I don't understand the rugpull comments.

      The article says "the purchase made in 2019 is not recognized anymore". The seller unilaterally taking back something you previously bought, especially without a refund, is a rug pull.

      • bspammer3 hours ago
        It still doesn't sound intentional to me. How many scammers are going around creating useful apps, supporting them, pushing out new features, and then finally doing the rugpull 14 years after release? It feels a lot more likely that the backend servers have fallen down on their own and for whatever reason there's no one around to fix them.
      • muppetman2 hours ago
        A rugpull to me is something specifically setup to try and make money by scamming/rugpulling. JuiceSSH has been around for so long, even if it doesn't work anymore I don't feel rugpulled? If it was a year old I'd agree.
        • josephcsible2 hours ago
          > If it was a year old I'd agree.

          If it were advertised at the time as a 1-year rental/subscription then it wouldn't be a rug pull. But the fact that it was advertised as a permanent purchase means that it is, no matter how long you got to use it before it was involuntarily taken back from you.

          • muppetmanan hour ago
            Right but I still consider a rugpull to be a malicious/conscience activity to extract money from you. That doesn't seem the case here.
            • fenykep14 minutes ago
              I mean it seems like they have increased the price, locked previous lifetime purchases (which prompted some of the commenters here to purchase it again at the higher price) and many features (cloudsync, plugins) were killed. All without any communication or a platform for complaints.

              To me this fulfills your criteria. [edit] typo

    • 3 hours ago
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  • 7 hours ago
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  • dstnn3 hours ago
    Same thing happened to me so I coded my own with claude instead of paying them again
    • netsharc2 hours ago
      Next project: Claude-coded SSH server?
  • nottorp5 hours ago
    I believe Google will cut off that avenue soon...
  • pelagicAustral8 hours ago
    > JuiceSSH used to be the best SSH client available on Android until December 2025.

    Really? I always gave that award to Termius, which is kind of my second best behind Servercat which I miss very dearly from the iOS environment.

    • Arrowmaster7 hours ago
      One was a one time purchase, the other requires a subscription.... The answer should be clear.
      • anonova7 hours ago
        Local-only usage of Termius is free and doesn't even require logging in to the service. I've been using it like this for years.
  • esseph7 hours ago
    Really great terminal app that I used in Android for a very long time with some interesting features.

    Also, Mosh shell support for sshing in degraded connection environments!

  • JorgeGT8 hours ago
    Damn. I especially liked the cloud backup & sync. Any good alternatives?
    • simlevesque8 hours ago
      I'm using Termux with aliases. I'll write "c1" and it logs in the machine. I use git to sync and backup from my laptop.

      I bought JuiceSSH too but I didn't use it that much. It's a shame they did what they did.

      • mystifyingpoi7 hours ago
        Termux is one of the best apps ever made for Android power users. It literally replaces so much stuff, if you don't care about GUI. No need for SSH app - it has ssh. No need for file sync app - there is rsync. No need for notetaking app, there is your $EDITOR you like. All 100% free. It's amazing.
        • epiccoleman7 hours ago
          +1. Termux absolutely rules and makes the dream of a cyberdeck actually viable. I use it at least once a week for various homelab stuff.
          • wolvoleo42 minutes ago
            And with DeX it's like a +2 :)
      • Zenul_Abidin8 hours ago
        I too bought JuiceSSH. I can still download and run it on other phones I get in the future, right?
        • muppetman7 hours ago
          Cloud sync seems busted, so not really.
  • twosdai8 hours ago
    Wow nice work. Thanks for doing this and writing it up.
  • bakugo8 hours ago
    I just tried to purchase pro from within the app just to see what the price is, and the Google Play purchase popup tells me it's not available. Interesting.
  • 1f60c7 hours ago
    This is pretty interesting but why not just pay the 20 bucks?
    • blibble7 hours ago
      I would not use an SSH client written by someone that feels it's OK to break the terms of the contract this way

      who knows what's coming next?

      • user39393825 hours ago
        The SSH deal has been altered. Pray I don’t alter it any further. csshck hoh.
    • __float7 hours ago
      The second paragraph explains this: they already have paid, and some people have paid [again], but their purchase is not accepted.
    • dcdc1237 hours ago
      The issue is people that already paid lost their pro features unless they pay _again_.
    • 7 hours ago
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  • awill6 hours ago
    There are just fewer highly polished Android apps vs iOS apps, and that's why I switched to iOS.

    I bought JuiceSSH years ago on Android and it worked great, but I agree it's degraded, and I couldn't find an equivalent I liked.

    iOS has multiple apps that beat JuiceSSH. I use Termix and it's really, really good.