Android’s Linux terminal is so good that I keep finding new reasons not to open my PC
Android’s Linux terminal is so good that I keep finding new reasons not to open my PC
https://www.makeuseof.com/android-linux-terminal-so-good-new-reasons-not-pc/
Publish Date: 2026-04-03 18:00:00
Source Domain: www.makeuseof.com
Android now supports a native terminal, and if you’ve ever been interested in doing more with your phone than what Android or apps allow, chances are you’ve looked into it. I expected to mess around with it for a short time, but didn’t expect it to be anywhere near as good as its desktop counterparts.
On top of that, apps like Termux already exist, with thousands of packages and a fully functional terminal. But what Google has shipped isn’t just a flashy demo feature. It’s a full Debian virtual machine on your device using the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF), and it’s so good that I’ve found myself reaching for my phone for a lot more complicated tasks.
Getting started takes almost no effort
A surprisingly smooth setup with minimal tinkering
No matter how advanced or well-made a feature is, if you can’t access it easily, you’re not going to use it much. Getting the terminal app to show up on your phone is a simple matter of enabling developer mode on your Android device and sliding a switch.
- Enable Developer Mode by heading to your phone settings, then the About Phone section, and tapping the build number seven times.
- Head to the developer option settings and tap the Linux development environment option.
- Enable the (Experimental) Run Linux terminal on Android slider.
Once the terminal app shows up, follow these steps to download and get it running:
- Open your app drawer and tap the Terminal app icon.
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