Google is making strides to enhance Android 16’s Linux Terminal app by enabling it to run graphical Linux applications, such as the classic game Doom. These upgrades, aimed at transforming Android into a fully-fledged PC operating system, include support for hardware acceleration and a display server. While these improvements are not yet available in the latest Android 16 beta, they are anticipated in future updates.
The Linux Terminal app allows users to download, configure, and run a Debian instance within a virtual machine on their Android devices. This functionality leverages the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF), which enables various OEMs, though not Samsung, to run different operating systems through virtualization.
The Terminal app first became accessible during the Android 15 QPR2 beta as a developer option and remains within the developer settings. Initial updates focused on resolving installation issues and adding features like disk resizing and port forwarding. However, the most significant enhancements targeting hardware acceleration and a graphical interface are still in development.
Developers can compile builds of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) to test upcoming functionalities prior to their public release. In a demonstration on a Pixel 9 Pro, users could launch a graphical environment using the Weston command, which is a Wayland compositor. After enabling hardware acceleration and installing Chocolate Doom—a source port of the original Doom—the game ran successfully, albeit without audio support, which Google is still working on.
Running applications like Doom signifies progress, and there’s hope for additional desktop-class Linux programs becoming operational on Android. Although attempts to run more complex software like GIMP were unsuccessful, the aim is for Android to achieve functionality similar to Chromebooks regarding Linux app support, especially as Chrome OS shifts toward an Android foundation.
For more details about Android 16 and recent developments, check Android 16 features and Linux on Chromebook.
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