[BUG] Relay setting causes "Orbot configuration invalid"

[alexsapps]

Checking "Relaying"/"Enable your device to be a non-exit relay" causes the vague error message "Orbot configuration invalid" (and no further details are available in the logs).

To Reproduce

1. Check "Relaying" in settings
2. Click "Connect" on the connect tab.

Expected Behavior If port forwarding is set up for any NAT in front of the device, it should just work. (right?)

What Custom Configuration Do You Use? All default settings except turning on the "Relaying" setting, although I tried other things as well like turning on the restrictive firewall option and power user mode (non-VPN option) but that didn't change anything.

Screenshots

Smartphone (please complete the following information):

• Device: Tested with both Pixel 7 pro and Pixel 5
• OS: Graphene OS on the Pixel 7 pro and Android 14 on the Pixel 5
• Version: 17.3.2-rc-1-TOR-0.4.8.12

[syphyr]

Uncheck in settings: Reduced connection padding AND Reduced circuit padding

[alexsapps]

Just did that and it starts now. Thank you! Would still be nice if Orbot could give a specific message when misconfigured, if possible.

[syphyr]

I would fix it, but Relay support has in Orbot been removed upstream.

[alexsapps]

Oh! Well this still works for now I suppose, but do you know if there is there another way to run a relay on Android? I heard Android 15+ supports a virtual machine but not sure if it is suitable for this, and not sure what linux distro to try on my various old phones.

[syphyr]

Termux

[bitmold]

Closing because yes we did drop this feature because it was hardly used, seldom tested, and for 99.9% of people it doesn't make sense to run relays within the context or Orbot.

The tor network is increasingly picky about relays and for most users running one on the go with spotty network access probably means no one would actually end up using your hosted relay to build a circuit.

But yeah, if you do want to really mess with relays on android there's termux :+)