KERN: Text & Code Editor

THINK. TYPE. TRANSFORM.

KERN is a native Android text and code editor for notes, source files and everyday document work. Start a draft without an account, open an existing text file, or organize your work into folders and projects.

MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR IDEAS

Move between document tabs, pin the ones you want to keep open, and use soft wrapping to fit long lines to your screen. Undo, redo, Find, Outline and Go to line help you work through a document. Expand the editor when you want more room to write.

COLOR CODE YOUR WORK

Turn syntax colors on or off and choose KERN, Ocean or Ember palettes in light or dark mode. Supported highlighting modes include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, Kotlin, Java, Python, C, C++, JSON, shell, XML and Markdown. Other text files remain editable as plain text; highlighting is lexical and is not a compiler or language server.

START WITH THE RIGHT FILE

Create a blank text document or a practical starter for HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Markdown, JSON, TypeScript, Python, Kotlin, Java, C, C++, shell or XML. Starter documents are editable files, not a code execution environment. Save As lets you choose where to keep your work.

SEE WHAT CHANGED

Compare the current buffer with its last loaded or saved snapshot in a side-by-side or unified view. Added and removed lines have both color and text indicators. Local history and draft recovery provide ways to revisit your work, while save checks help detect external file changes. Keep your own backups of important documents.

PREVIEW AS YOU WRITE

Preview Markdown headings, lists, code and tables, or inspect an HTML preview. Preview scripts and remote resources are blocked. Source editing remains separate from preview.

WORK WITH YOUR FILES

Choose files and folders through Android's picker. Optional All files access can also enable direct shared-storage browsing; Android restrictions still apply and other apps' private folders remain unavailable. KERN keeps folder access under your control and remains usable without broad access.

Bring local projects together, add existing folders or clone Git repositories into KERN-managed storage. Git actions are available for supported managed repositories, not arbitrary Android document-provider folders. Configured SFTP connections support explicit file download, edit, review and upload; they do not automatically synchronize entire folders.

MADE FOR ANDROID

KERN adapts its layout to phones and larger screens. Local text editing does not require an account or an internet connection. Network tools use internet access through their configured actions; cloud document providers may use their own connection. KERN automatically checks update policies when you open or return to the app while online, even with Cloud Services off. Cloud Services, announcements, crash reporting and usage analytics default on for new installations; existing settings are preserved. Turn optional services off in Settings. Android notification permission is separate. KERN's custom analytics measures screen use and startup timing without document content, filenames or paths. Firebase also collects app, device and session metadata.

Android 11 or later is required. Editable files are limited to 10 MiB, with up to eight open tabs and bounded history and comparison sizes. A separate paged read-only viewer supports UTF-8 logs up to 100 MiB. Large or complex files and unsupported language constructs have limits; KERN does not promise unlimited editing or universal language support.