What are crypto mining apps for Android actually doing?

Before we explore the various crypto mining apps for Android, we need to clarify a few things. 
“Mining” is not an accurate word to describe what various “crypto mining” apps are doing. Mobile phones simply aren’t powerful enough to actually mine any popular cryptocurrencies profitably. 
In the example of Bitcoin, it’s impossible for any mobile phone to compete with the highly efficient and powerful ASIC miners that are dominating the BTC mining sector. If you tried to actually mine Bitcoin on your mobile phone, you’d just be wasting electricity and potentially damaging your device for no real benefit. Cryptocurrency mining is an extremely intensive process for hardware, and can quickly cause a mobile device to overheat.
Even other Proof-of-Work cryptocurrencies that are less competitive than Bitcoin, for example, Monero, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash, cannot be mined profitably with a mobile phone.
If you see a mobile app that claims it’s mining a Proof-of-Work coin, it’s almost a certainty that there’s something else going on under the hood. In most cases, users receive small crypto rewards in exchange for viewing ads or completing surveys. Such apps usually won’t be worth your time, as the rewards they provide are minuscule.
However, it’s common in the cryptocurrency community to use the term “mining” to describe the process of receiving rewards through an app, even though there’s no actual mining happening.
Some projects use the concept of “mobile mining” to distribute their coins to a large number of users. Usually, such apps don’t actually participate in the consensus process of any blockchain, but just slowly allocate coins to those who use the app.
There are also legit crypto mining apps for Android that are used to manage cryptocurrency rigs remotely. In addition, some mobile apps allow users to participate in cloud mining or purchase hashrate on a marketplace.

The best crypto mining apps for Android in 2024

In the following section, we are going to examine the leading cryptocurrency mining apps for Android available on the market today.

1. Pi Network - A crypto project distributing Pi coins through their app

Pi Network is a cryptocurrency project that allows users to “mine” Pi coins using their app. The term “mining” is used in a confusing manner by Pi Network, as the Pi cryptocurrency doesn’t use a Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism. 
Instead, it utilizes a modified version of the Stellar Consensus Protocol, which allows users to participate in consensus without requiring a lot of computational resources. This is why the Pi Network app uses roughly the same amount of energy as any other normal Android app. 
You can install the Pi Network app to start “mining” Pi coins. The Pi Network app can even “mine” Pi when its closed, as you can close it after starting a mining session. You can increase your Pi mining rate by using various Pi apps or making other contributions to the network. 
However, don’t expect to make any major profits from this process unless the Pi coin price increases significantly in the future. Still, the Pi Network app is one of the best mining apps for mobile devices.
Visit Pi Network

2. NiceHash - Leading mining platform and hashrate marketplace

NiceHash is a popular cryptocurrency mining platform that offers a variety of mining solutions for GPU and CPU miners, as well as ASIC miners. One of the most interesting aspects of NiceHash is that it can be used to purchase and sell hashpower.
The NiceHash mobile app can be used to manage cryptocurrency wallets, mining rigs, and your NiceHash account. You can of course also use it to stay on top of your mining rewards. The app also features the NiceHash hashpower marketplace and allows you to place new orders for hashrate or cancel your existing orders.
Visit NiceHash

3. CryptoTab - A browser that allows users to earn BTC

CryptoTab is a web browser that allows users to earn Bitcoin rewards while browsing. CryptoTab actually mines the Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency and converts it to Bitcoin to pay out rewards. On mobile devices, the CryptoTab browser uses cloud mining, which the company calls Cloud.Boost. Besides the Android version, the CryptoTab browser is also available as a desktop application and as an iOS app.
The CryptoTab browser is based on Chrome, which is the world’s most popular web browser. This means that it’s easy to import your bookmarks and history, and you can also use any Chrome browser extensions with CryptoTab as well.
Visit CryptoTab

4. Binance - The world’s top crypto exchange has a cloud mining feature

The mobile app offered by the Binance cryptocurrency exchange doesn’t just allow you to access a large number of trading products, but it also offers the exchange’s cloud mining feature.
Cloud mining allows users who don’t have mining hardware to indirectly participate in cryptocurrency mining. In the case of Binance, you can purchase a certain amount of hashrate from the Binance Pool mining pool and receive BTC mining rewards to your Funding Wallet on Binance.
On Binance, you can purchase cloud mining products of varying durations, for example 60 days or 100 days. If you want to buy hashrate on Binance, you’ll have to pay with the USDT stablecoin. 
Visit Binance

5. BTC.com App - The mobile app from one of the leading Bitcoin mining pools

BTC.com is a very popular platform for cryptocurrency miners, and they offer a mobile application that serves as a great companion app for any miner that’s mining through the BTC.com pool. 
The BTC.com app allows users to monitor the status of the Bitcoin mining network, including key information such as the current hashrate and mining difficulty. The app can be used to monitor your own mining rig’s data and hashrate, as well as the rewards your mining operation is generating.
Visit BTC.com App

6. Brave Browser - The most popular crypto-friendly browser featuring BAT token rewards

Brave is a web browser that provides important privacy protections, a built-in cryptocurrency wallet feature, as well as token rewards for users who opt in to view advertisements.
By default, the Brave browser blocks invasive web ads, cross-site trackers, third-party cookies and provides a host of other features that result in a safer and less distracting web browser experience. Brave is built using the Chromium engine, which also powers Google Chrome, allowing it to deliver a performance matching the fastest browsers available on the market today. If you want to learn more on the subject, make sure to check out our article comparing Brave vs. Chrome.
If you're an Android user, you might be eligible to earn BAT tokens through the Brave Rewards program. Through Brave Rewards, users can opt in to be served advertisements and receive BAT tokens in return. The BAT tokens can be used to support content creators who are signed up as Brave Creators, purchase gift cards, and they can even be exchanged to other cryptocurrencies. 
If you want to see whether users from your country are eligible for Brave Rewards, make sure to check on the official Brave website. To be sure, you shouldn't expect to strike it reach from the BAT you earn by opting into the Brave Rewards program. However, it can be a nice bonus, and Brave's privacy features make the browser worth using even if we don't take the token rewards into account.
Visit Brave

7. Minerstat - Monitor your crypto mining operation on the go

Minerstat is a platform that allows users to monitor their cryptocurrency mining operations. The platform also offers an application for Android mobile devices, which is a great tool for users that want to monitor their mining rigs even while they're on the go. 
The Minerstat app provides up-to-date information about your hashrate, expected earnings, active workers and more. The application also provides statistics about your mining operations, such as the fluctuations in the profitability of the different rigs in your setup.
While the Minerstat app doesn't do any cryptocurrency mining by itself, it can be extremely userful for anyone who's serious about mining crypto and wants to stay on top of what's happening regardless of where they are.
Visit Minerstat

The bottom line

Let’s summarize the main takeaways from our exploration of the available crypto mining apps for Android.

• Using your mobile phone’s hardware for actual crypto mining (participating in PoW consensus) is not a viable option. You won’t be able to make a profit, and mining could harm your mobile device.
• There are “mining” apps that will pay you a small amount of crypto in exchange for viewing advertisements or completing surveys. The rewards offered by such apps are usually too small for them to be worth your time.
• Some projects, such as Pi Network, slowly distribute coins to users who install their mobile apps. This kind of distribution method is often called “mining”, but it’s not actual mining.
• Mobile apps can be used to manage cryptocurrency mining rigs or participate in cloud mining.

The bottom line is that mobile mining is not the best approach to mining cryptocurrency. If you want to learn more about how to mine profitably, make sure to check out our ultimate guide on cryptocurrency mining.

FAQs

Can I mine crypto on my phone?

While it is possible to mine crypto on your phone, don’t expect to make any profits. Mobile phones are not powerful enough to mine popular Proof-of-Work cryptocurrencies profitably.
There are also “mining” apps that don’t actually mine crypto, but pay users a small amount of crypto in exchange for viewing advertisements or completing surveys. The rewards offered by such apps are usually too small for them to be worth your time. 

Can you mine Bitcoin with an Android phone?

Theoretically, it is possible to mine Bitcoin with an Android phone. In practice, however, you will just be wasting electricity and potentially harming your mobile device without making any profits. This is because mobile phones are nowhere near powerful enough to compete with the highly optimized ASIC chips used in Bitcoin mining. 

Are there any real crypto mining apps?

There are apps that actually mine crypto, although they are not profitable because mobile phones are not powerful enough to mine crypto profitably.