Android
Android 16: Now you can use graphic programs
Google is making Android more like a computer by letting it run big programs. They’re doing this by adding the ability to use Linux programs on Android, similar to what they did with Chrome OS. This new feature is part of the Android Linux Terminal app, which Google has been working on for months. Right now, the app doesn’t support graphic programs, but that could change very soon in Android 16.
The Android Linux Terminal app does everything needed to set up and run Debian, a type of Linux, in a virtual space on your phone or tablet. It uses something called the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF), which helps run different operating systems on Android devices. Many phone makers support AVF, but Samsung doesn’t.
You can only find this Terminal app if you know where to look in the settings of Android 15 QPR2 beta. Google has made some small updates to make it easier to install and use, like options to change disk size or save setups. However, the big updates like running graphic programs or speeding up the app aren’t out yet for everyone.
Because Google develops this in the open, we can try out these new features early. On a Pixel 9 Pro, we started the Terminal app, clicked a special button to show graphics, and used a command named ‘weston’ to see if we could get graphics working.
We also turned on hardware to make things faster and installed a version of Doom called Chocolate Doom. It worked! Doom ran smoothly, even though there was no sound because that part isn’t finished yet.
It’s exciting that the Terminal can now handle graphic apps like Doom. Hopefully, soon we’ll see more complex programs like GIMP running too. The aim seems to be making Android as good at running Linux apps as Chromebooks are, blending the lines between mobile and desktop.