Android 16 lets the Linux Terminal use your phone’s entire storage

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Pixel phones now feature a Linux Terminal app, enabling users to run a Debian virtual machine for desktop apps alongside Android ones. While still lacking features like GUI/audio, the recent Android 16 Beta 4 release removes the previous 16GB storage cap for the Linux VM. Google plans to eventually replace manual storage resizing with dynamic ballooning, allowing the VM storage to adjust automatically based on need. Pixel phones are taking a step towards becoming powerful portable PCs with the introduction of the Linux Terminal app in the March 2025 update. This app lets compatible Android devices run a full-fledged instance of the popular Debian distro in a virtual machine, opening the door to running popular Linux desktop programs alongside Android apps. However, the feature isn’t quite ready for everyday professional use, currently lacking support for critical features like graphical apps and audio output, and until recently, it was restr ... Read full article.