A few days ago, Google surprised users by introducing a Terminal app on Android as part of the March Pixel feature drop. While its addition sparked excitement about potential new capabilities, its exact purpose remained unclear—until now. A Google employee has now clarified the reason behind the Terminal app’s existence and what it is intended for.
In response to a feature request on Android’s IssueTracker, where a user inquired about the exact purpose of the VM, a Google engineer provided an explanation:
The main purpose of this Linux terminal feature is to bring more apps (Linux apps/tools/games) into Android, but NOT to bring yet another desktop environment. We think it would in general be bad to present multiple options for the window management on a single device.
This all but confirms that Google aims to bring desktop Linux apps to Android, similar to how ChromeOS supports Linux applications. Further clarifying, the Google engineer mentioned that Google has no objections to users or manufacturers installing or shipping alternative Linux desktop environments like GNOME or KDE. Additionally, Linux apps on Android will primarily utilize Android’s native desktop windowing system, ensuring a more seamless experience.
Additionally, Google confirmed that GPU acceleration is in development and will be available in the next release. Currently, the Terminal app lacks a display manager, meaning users can install apps via Flatpaks or APT repositories, but fully running desktop apps isn’t possible yet. However, this is expected to change in future updates.
With the recent Android 16 Beta 3 update, multi-tab support was introduced in the Linux Terminal, marking another step toward a more functional Linux experience on Android. Over the past decade, Linux has seen major advancements, especially in gaming thanks to the Proton Compatibility Layer. This makes the future of Linux on Android even more exciting.
What are your thoughts on Google’s Linux terminal for Android? What features would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below!
