Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Here’s a quick guide on how to access files from your Android device while using the new Linux Terminal app.
- The Terminal app connects to an isolated instance of Debian running in a virtual machine, so it only has access to whatever files the Android host shares with it.
- Android shares its downloads folder with the Linux VM, which can access those files under the /mnt/shared path.
With the second quarterly release of Android 15, Google introduced a powerful new Linux Terminal app. Google’s Terminal app is not like other terminal emulators on the app store as it actually connects to a full-fledged instance of Debian in a virtual machine. This instance of Debian is isolated from the host Android OS, and it’s only able to access what the host gives it. That includes files on your Android device, but fortunately, there’s a way to access your Android device’s files from the new Linux Terminal.
To access files from your Android phone within the Linux Terminal environment, you have to place those files in Android’s Downloads directory. Then, those same files can be accessed within the Linux VM through the /mnt/shared directory path. You can utilize a variety of Linux commands to interact with these files, including basic commands like ls for listing directory contents and cat for displaying file contents.
In my brief testing, I noticed that file additions, edits, and deletions were immediately reflected in both Android and the Linux VM. I did notice one quirk, though. When I created a new file from within the Linux VM and then opened the Downloads collection in the Files by Google app on Android, the new file I created wasn’t there. However, the file was there when I manually navigated to the Downloads directory in storage. This discrepancy arises from how Android’s MediaProvider database indexes files. Ultimately, just be sure to navigate to the real Downloads directory in Android’s file system if you want to see any new files you add from the Linux VM.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to access files outside of the Downloads directory from within the Linux VM. Despite the fact that the Terminal app has the Android permission that grants it “all files access,” it can only access files under the Downloads directory. I did a bit of digging into the source code for the Terminal app and discovered that, sadly, this is by design. It would be great if Google were to expand access to Android’s shared storage to the Linux VM, as it would be useful to grab files from, say, Android’s Documents or Images collections.
To try the Linux Terminal app on your own device, you’ll need to have a Pixel phone with either the latest quarterly release of Android 15 installed or the latest Android 16 beta. The Terminal app in the latest Android 16 beta has more features like a tabbed interface, enhancing multitasking capabilities. Google is also preparing to add graphical app support to the Terminal app, which would make it possible to run many useful desktop Linux apps. While Google says it doesn’t want the Terminal app to be a full desktop mode replacement, it’s possible to still install a desktop environment, and with shared file access, you can easily work on files with tools from both Android and Linux.
