Python inference doesn't work on android

[alexg93333]

🔎 Search before asking

• I have searched the PaddleOCR Docs and found no similar bug report.
• I have searched the PaddleOCR Issues and found no similar bug report.
• I have searched the PaddleOCR Discussions and found no similar bug report.

🐛 Bug (问题描述)

There is a cross platform Python framework for GUI apps named "Kivy", it works on linux windows android and ios. Paddle python works on linux but not on android and not on ios.

🏃‍♂️ Environment (运行环境)

Android

🌰 Minimal Reproducible Example (最小可复现问题的Demo)

python on android:
import paddle -> library exception

[GreatV]

The issue you're facing—trying to run PaddleOCR's Python inference on Android—is due to limited platform support for the core PaddlePaddle Python library.

Currently, PaddlePaddle does not officially support Android (or iOS) for Python-based inference. As you've noted, it works on Linux and other desktop/server platforms, but importing paddle in a Python environment on Android (e.g., using Kivy or Pydroid3) results in ModuleNotFoundError or similar crashes. This is because PaddlePaddle provides native support only for x86/x86_64 platforms with specific OS configurations and does not distribute Python wheels for ARM-based Android systems.

This issue has also been raised in related discussions and issues, such as:

• Issue: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'paddle' #14115

To run OCR with PaddlePaddle on Android, you have two main alternatives:

1. 🔤 Use Paddle Lite (C++ or Java):
   Paddle Lite is the framework designed for mobile and embedded devices. Although it's not Python-based, it provides native support for Android and iOS and works efficiently with pre-trained PaddleOCR models.

   Documentation: https://paddle-lite.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

2. 🧩 Convert your models for use in other mobile-compatible frameworks:
   Alternatively, you could export your PaddleOCR models and run inference using another mobile-supported inference engine like ONNX + TensorFlow Lite, but this often requires model conversion and custom post-processing.

In summary, direct Python inference for PaddleOCR is not currently supported on Android due to limitations in PaddlePaddle's platform support. If you're looking to deploy PaddleOCR on Android, using Paddle Lite or writing a native mobile application is the recommended route.

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[alexg93333]

Is it planned to include python inference on android soon? The Kivy framework would benefit very much from it. C++ inference is very hard to maintain as it requires to rebuild the dll's with makefiles in a specific docker image. Or are there other options?