- Google has added a tabbed interface to the Terminal app in Android 16 Beta 3.
- The Terminal app lets you run Linux apps in a virtual machine on your Android device.
- Adding tabs makes it easier to multitask, as you can issue commands without having to wait for a process to complete.
After installing the third beta of Android 16 that Google released earlier this week, we opened the Linux Terminal app and noticed that it now had a tabbed interface. The tabs in the Terminal app are similar to those in a web browser, with a title, a button to close them, and a button to open new ones. The tabs can neither be rearranged nor renamed currently, but this is functionality that Google could add in future updates. The application supports opening numerous tabs, as we were able to open 12 tabs without issue.
Another new addition to the Terminal app in Android 16 Beta 3 is the “Display” button. This button is intended to open the Display activity, which allows users to run graphical Linux applications. However, graphical app support is currently disabled in Android 16 Beta 3, so the “Display” button is non-functional. For those curious, we previously demonstrated Doom running in the Linux Terminal app using this Display activity.
To try the Linux Terminal app, you must first enable Developer Options on your Android device. Then, enable the Terminal by navigating to Settings > System > Developer Options > Linux development environment and toggling ‘(Experimental) Run Linux terminal on Android‘. After returning to your home screen, open the Terminal app from the app list. You will be prompted to download a ~567MB package containing the Debian image, which will then be unpacked and run in a virtual machine using the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF).
Let us know in the comments below what you think of Android’s Linux Terminal app and what you plan to use it for!