Google Will Enable Android Phones With Ability To Run Debian Linux Soon
Hidden away among the hullabaloo of Google's March Pixel feature drop lies a feature many enthusiasts and developers have asked for years—the Linux Terminal app. This Debian-based Linux environment is now available for Pixel phones with the latest stable update. This means users can load a portable desktop distro on their smartphones—can you believe this is happening right now? The app still lacks a proper GUI for now, but power users can already initiate commands like they would on their PCs/laptops.
If an old 70s processor can run Linux, why can't a modern smartphone? Well, the wait is finally over. Google had hinted to serving up a proper Linux terminal app for Android for awhile now, but starting with the latest stable March Pixel update, the terminal app is open for all to use. To enable the app, you'll need a Pixel phone running the latest stable version of Android—of course—then head to Settings > System > Developer options > toggle Linux development environment. Once you do, the Linux Terminal app will appear in the app drawer. Launching the app will require an initial 567 MB download.
By the way, this Linux environment is based on the well-established Debian distribution, and it runs through the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF) in a virtual machine. The shell interface is admittedly quite plain-Jane at the moment, but Google could bring proper GUI support along with Android 16. Nonetheless, you can configure, download, and run Debian to your heart's desire.
No word either on when the Linux app will be available to the broader Android audience. The majority of the Android demographic will likely never even care about this feature, but this serves as a boon for folks who love their desktop Linux applications without the need for a laptop or PC. In a sense, this development brings back some fun back into Android. Early Android phone users remember the OS' openness to customization and rooting (for example), even though those qualities have diminished somewhat is recent years.
And in case you're wondering—no, the Linux terminal app isn't related to prior Google suggestions to merge Android with Chromebook, both Linux-based. The app is more about Google initial plans to turn Android into a desktop operating system. When connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, for instance, the idea is for Android to work similar to Samsung DeX. This full functionality may come, again, with Android 16.
