Latest news with #LinuxTerminal
Android Authority
19 hours ago
- Android Authority
8 things you must try with the Linux Terminal app on your Android phone
Andy Walker / Android Authority One of Google's significant innovations that has gone largely unnoticed this year was the rollout of Linux Terminal support baked right into Android. If you own a Pixel and are running the latest stable version of Android, you can enable the app and open up a world of possibilities. Sure, the terminal is daunting, but thanks to its presence in a virtual machine, it remains largely isolated from your phone's critical inner workings. This makes it the perfect playground. If you're asking yourself how a black screen with incoherent lines of text can be a playground, you've come to the right place. In this piece, I'll detail some useful, not-so-useful, and downright fun ways to use the Linux Terminal app on your Android phone. Have you enabled the Linux Terminal app on your Pixel? 953 votes Yes, I have. 24 % No, I haven't yet, but I'm considering it. 51 % No, I don't want to at all. 10 % No, I don't have a phone that supports it. 15 % Get to grips with the basics Andy Walker / Android Authority Getting lost in the terminal is easy, so a little help is always welcome. I've been leaning heavily on this brilliant Linux Terminal companion app called Linux Command Library to help with the essential, must-know commands. However, you needn't ever go beyond the terminal itself for help. There are two parameters you'll need to remember: help and man . Help displays a list of commands that are available to you. Think of it as a phonebook. Man, on the other hand, displays the manual pages for utilities and commands. It's a good idea to use the help command to explore the possibilities broadly, and then man to drill down into those you're interested in. The man parameter is used as such, with ls as an example: man ls There are two other important commands you'll need to know. They are: Update the system: sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade and Install a package: sudo apt install [name of the package] Remove old lines from the terminal: clear Close the currently running program: usually CTRL c unless otherwise specified by the utility Experiment with system information tools Andy Walker / Android Authority Let's look at something simple before we get into the more technical items. Linux has several system information tools that you can access through the terminal. Running them on the Pixel will give you detailed information about how much RAM and CPU power Debian is using, as well as other details related to your virtual machine. There are two options available: neofetch , which displays a less nuanced overview of your system, and htop , which offers real-time updates of system resource usage. sudo apt install neofetch sudo apt install htop Once installed, type neofetch or htop in the terminal and hit the Enter button to run them. Play a game, or two, or three! The command line might seem an impractical way to play games, but terminal games just ooze charm. Playing Bastet, a Tetris-like block stacking game, was one of the first things I learned how to do on Linux, and it's something I still do to this day. Yes, using the Pixel 8's relatively small screen and control buttons is awkward, but it's still a blast. To install it, use the command below: sudo apt install bastet Of course, Bastet isn't your only option. Find some of my favorite terminal games below, including their install commands: Pacman4console sudo apt install pacman4console Moon-Buggy sudo apt install moon-buggy Nsnake sudo apt install nsnake Ninvaders sudo apt install ninvaders Control other devices on your network Perhaps one of the more useful ways to use the terminal on your Android phone is to command other devices on your network through SSH. If you've built your own Pi-hole to block ads or build your own digital assistant, you can easily SSH into it from your phone through the terminal and check up on it occasionally. You will need to install SSH using the command below sudo apt install ssh Alternatively, if you're not a Pi-hole owner, you can still SSH into almost any machine, from your homemade NAS to your desktop. Turn the Terminal into a secret notebook There are several text editors that make full use of the terminal, but nano is my favorite. I've used it for years on the desktop, and now I can try it on the terminal. To install it, enter the following command: sudo apt install nano Once it's installed, run nano . You can now use the terminal to take notes, too. You can save the current note in a text file and recall it once you reopen the app. Brilliant! Step into the Matrix Andy Walker / Android Authority Your Android phone can be a portal to 1999, when leather trench coats were still all the rage. The scrolling matrix screen is still a firm part of popular culture, and you can turn your terminal window into something similar thanks to cmatrix . To install it, type the following into the terminal on your phone, followed by the Enter key: sudo apt install cmatrix To run the utility, type the following, followed by the Enter key: cmatrix Your phone's terminal window should now be covered in vertically cascading text. To stop the command, tap the CTRL button followed by C. Stress test your Pixel Should you stress test phones known for heating problems? Probably not, but it's fun nonetheless. After building a system, it's a good idea to stress test it to check what it's capable of, how hot it'll get, and whether all the components are in working order. You can do this, too, using traditional Android apps. However, it's much more fun to use the terminal. First, install the stress testing tool: sudo apt install stress Once installed, you can stress test the CPU by running the following command: stress –cpu [number of cpus] –timeout [how long you want the test to run, in seconds] As an example, the Pixel 8 has nine CPU cores, so to stress test all of them my command would be: stress –cpu 9 –timeout 60 To monitor the progress of the test, open htop in a second terminal tab, and switch between the two views. You will notice the CPU cores on htop kick up to 100% and remain pretty high for the allotted time. Become a digital cat parent Andy Walker / Android Authority If you're a fan of early 2010s pop culture, you can turn your expensive Google phone into a Nyan Cat display. Run the below command: sudo apt install nyancat Then type nyancat and hit Enter to run the utility. Your terminal will display a flying poptart-encased feline with rainbow trails. This is just the beginning! The Linux Terminal app is an excellent addition to Android phones. While users only have access to a text-based portal to the Debian virtual machine, Google is planning to run full-scale Linux apps on Android's desktop mode eventually. That's pretty exciting, and something we can all look forward to in the future. For now, the terminal is a great learning and experimenting tool for most and a portable development toolkit for others. The items above are merely intended to highlight the terminal's potential. Some have installed full-blown graphical interfaces, turning their Pixels into portable Linux machines. We've even managed to install and run Doom. The possibilities are only really limited by your imagination, so I encourage you to keep reading resources, guides, and how-tos detailing the more intricate ways of using the terminal on Android. Do you have a fun way of using the Linux Terminal on your phone? Perhaps I missed something handy. If so, let the community know in the comments below.
Android Authority
20-05-2025
- Android Authority
I activated the Linux terminal on my Pixel, and you should too
Andy Walker / Android Authority Google Pixels can claim many exclusive features, including camera modes like Best Take and Add Me, and UI additions like At A Glance. But it can now add another feature to the list: the Linux Terminal app. Rolled out to Pixels with the March 2025 Pixel Drop update, the feature uses Android's built-in virtualization capabilities to run a version of Debian accessible via the terminal. In simpler terms, Pixel users now have access to a Linux distribution right on their phones. This means common commands and utilities usually beyond the reach of Android users can now be issued on the phone. The terminal supports installing packages, retrieving information on the phone, and various internet-related tasks. Anything you can do on a desktop Linux terminal, you can do on this app. Have you enabled the Linux Terminal app on your Pixel? 0 votes Yes, I have. NaN % No, I haven't yet, but I'm considering it. NaN % No, I don't want to at all. NaN % No, I don't have a phone that supports it. NaN % The Linux Terminal app is positioned as a developer tool, so it's not automatically available or enabled for all users immediately. But even if you don't know much about Linux, installing the app and tinkering with it is a great place to start. Here's everything you need to get started. How I activated the Linux Terminal app on my Pixel Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority Before I discuss how to acquire the app itself, you'll need to tick one crucial box. You'll need a Pixel phone running Android 15 or newer. I hope Google will expand the Linux Terminal app to more non-Pixel Android phones. For now, this limitation stands. Now, once you've confirmed your device is supported, follow the steps below to install the Terminal app: Head to Settings > About phone > Build number . Tap the Build number field several times until a pop-up confirming that Developer options have been enabled appears. You may need to enter a PIN or password to confirm its activation. . Tap the Build number field several times until a pop-up confirming that Developer options have been enabled appears. You may need to enter a PIN or password to confirm its activation. Next, locate Developer options within Settings > System. Within Developer options, locate and tap on the Linux development environment option. This will open a new page. Toggle on (Experimental) Run Linux terminal on Android. This will place a new Terminal app in your apps menu. Locate it and open it. Somewhat confusingly, opening the Terminal app will prompt you to install the Linux terminal app. Note that the download size is 565MB, which includes Debian and other necessary tools. I suggest checking Download using Wi-Fi only . Once you're ready, tap Install . . Once you're ready, tap . You'll need to wait a few minutes while everything installs, but the phone does most of the heavy lifting. Once the installation is complete, the Terminal will boot into Debian automatically. You can now issue commands. Google warns that this feature is experimental, and it's not kidding. It feels more like a garage project than a fast-secured part of the Android experience. I expect this to improve in time, but you will experience various bugs and errors for now. Google's Terminal app is pretty buggy as it stands, but it should get better as time passes. I've encountered an annoying bug that hands on the Allow Terminal to send you notifications? box, even when tapping Allow or Don't allow. My workaround is heading to Settings > Apps > See all apps > Terminal. Tap Notifications, and toggle on All Terminal Notifications. You can now return to the Terminal app; the box should be gone. The Terminal app also often loses access to the internet, leaving me unable to install packages or access any online tools. To remedy this, I've found that disabling and enabling the Terminal in Developer options is a particular fix, although you will likely lose any configs. I have, and I've had to start over from scratch several times now. The Terminal app is the perfect mobile Linux playground Andy Walker / Android Authority Google doesn't want everyone to use the Terminal app. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been hidden behind Developer options, but there's no reason why you shouldn't enable it. No harm can come from it. It runs in a virtual machine and is therefore isolated mainly from your Pixel's data. You can access files on your phone, but they must be located in your Downloads folder. Despite its problems and limitations, you should enable the Linux Terminal app if you have a supported Pixel. It's a great educational experience, even if you don't plan to use it in a serious capacity. When paired with a capable companion app, it's the perfect canvas for experimentation and learning. Have you enabled the Linux Terminal app on your Pixel? If so, please let us know your experiences with it.
Android Authority
09-05-2025
- Android Authority
Running out of memory in Android 16's Linux Terminal? Try this fix
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Android 15's new Linux Terminal app is limited to 4GB of memory, which can be insufficient for developers. A workaround involves increasing the zram size, creating a swap file, and adjusting swappiness to improve memory availability. While not a perfect solution, this method should help reduce crashes due to low memory in the Linux VM. One of the most exciting new features in the second quarterly release of Android 15 is the Linux Terminal app. This app allows you to run full-fledged Linux applications on Android by booting an instance of the Debian distribution within a virtual machine. This virtual machine shares resources and hardware, such as processing power and storage, with the host Android device. By default, the Linux Terminal app is limited to 4GB of memory, which might be insufficient for demanding development workloads. Fortunately, there's a simple workaround for this limitation. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority A screenshot showing that only 4GB of memory is available in the Linux VM, even on a Pixel 9 Pro where there's nearly 10GB of free memory. Although the Linux Terminal app runs on all Pixel phones with the latest Android 15 stable or Android 16 beta releases, it has a fixed memory allocation regardless of the device's total RAM—whether 8GB, 12GB, or 16GB. This contrasts with Chromebooks, where the Linux VM can utilize nearly all available memory, reserving only 1GB to ensure Chrome OS continues to operate smoothly. Consequently, Chromebooks can handle significantly more memory-intensive development workloads. Since a primary motivation for Google developing the Linux Terminal app was to bring more development tools to Android, its 4GB memory cap is disappointing. Although the Terminal app features 'memory ballooning' to dynamically adjust the Linux VM's memory allocation, this capability only allows its usage to fluctuate between the minimum required for VM operation and the aforementioned 4GB limit. Fortunately, the workaround is simple—though not entirely foolproof—and likely familiar to those acquainted with Linux. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority Snippets from the config VM config file showing that a maximum of 4GB of memory is allocated to the Linux VM As developer Li Zhao highlighted on his blog, the process involves enlarging the zram size from the default 1GB to 8GB, creating an 8GB swap file on disk, and setting the swappiness to an appropriate value (e.g., 100). To increase the zram size, edit the file in /etc/systemd: Code Copy Text $ cat /etc/systemd/ [zram0] zram-size = 8192 compression-algorithm = zstd To change the swappiness, edit the file in /etc: Code Copy Text $ cat /etc/ .... To create a new 8GB swap file, run these commands: Code Copy Text $ sudo fallocate -l 8G /swap $ sudo chmod 600 /swap $ sudo mkswap /swap $ sudo swapon /swap $ sudo swapon -s #update /etc/fstab for defaults mount on boot $ cat /etc/fstab ... /swap swap swap defaults 0 0 For those unfamiliar, zram lets you use a portion of RAM as compressed swap space, thereby effectively increasing available memory. The swappiness value, on the other hand, dictates how aggressively the Linux kernel handles memory page swapping. While swapping pages with RAM is faster than using disk storage, this isn't a foolproof method for significantly boosting memory availability—compression has its limits. Nevertheless, this simple workaround should reduce instances of apps being terminated due to low memory or the Linux Terminal crashing, especially when combined with the additional 8GB of swap space on disk. Since its initial release, Google has enhanced the Linux Terminal app with several improvements, such as increased storage allocation and a tabbed interface. Hopefully, the company will further improve it by adding features like adjustable memory allocation and graphical app support. Have you experimented with the new Linux Terminal app on your Pixel? If so, what have you done with it so far? Let us know in the comments below! Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Google Lifts Storage Limit for Linux Terminal on Pixel Phones: 16 GB to Infinity Minus 1GB
Google Pixel users will soon be able to run a full Debian Linux environment using the Linux Terminal app. The Android 16 Beta 4 update removes the previous 16GB storage cap for the Linux virtual machine, which was first introduced in the March 2025 update. Now, it lets users allocate nearly all of their phone's available storage to the VM—except for 1GB, which is kept free for system stability. In Android 16 Beta 4, this adjustment is managed through a disk resize slider in the app's settings. Google says that in a future release, the slider will be replaced by a storage ballooning system, letting the Linux VM's storage grow or shrink automatically based on the phone's available space. The Linux Terminal app is made to let users run Linux apps alongside Android apps and not to replace Android's native desktop mode. Google says that the main purpose is to give users access to Linux tools and software within Android. However, users can still install full desktop environments like GNOME or KDE Plasma inside the VM if they choose, as reported by Android Authority. However, the app does not yet support graphical applications with hardware acceleration or audio output, and graphical environments rely on software rendering, which may affect performance for tasks that need more resources. This update is currently available on Pixel devices running Android 16 Beta 4. The process to expand the Linux VM's storage is pretty straightforward, and users have reported that the increased storage is recognized immediately after restarting the VM.
