Google adds tabbed interface to the Terminal app in Android 16 Beta 3

Google released Android 16 Beta 3 on 13th March, marking a significant step towards the stable Android 16 release. Among the wide array of improvements and customizations, including Screen Saver trigger based on the device's posture, the one long awaited aspect is the Terminal app.

Last year, the ferrochrome-dev-option tag in Android Open Source Project (AOSP) hinted at a new Android's Linux Terminal app via a string, and with the March 2025 Pixel update, the stable version of the app was released. This terminal app is based on Debian and runs in a virtual machine via the Android Virtualization Framework, allowing users to have a portable version of a Linux distro. However, the app lacked one of the most common yet useful features: adding multiple tabs.

Android Authority's Android enthusiast, Mishaal Rahman, noticed that Android 16's third beta has brought about UI changes by adding Tab Strips. By clicking on +, users can now add multiple tabs, multitask, and even execute sudo commands. The publication was able to add up to 12 tabs without any issues. However, once the tab is created, it cannot be rearranged or renamed: only deleted.

Take a look at the new user interface of the Terminal app:

Additionally, the third beta has added the "Display" button, as you can see at the top-right corner. As for now, the Display button is non-functional, and its exact role is not clear. Mishaal Rahman suspects it to run graphical Linux applications.

As mentioned earlier, Android's Linux Terminal app lacks tab rearrangements and tab renaming, but this could be simply because of its fresh inclusion. With the subsequent updates, the Terminal app should have more convenient features.

Those who would like to try out the new Terminal app can enable developer options and toggle Linux Development Environment: Settings > System > Developer Options > Linux development environment. The system will ask you to install a 560MB+ Debian image package.

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