Android Terminal Emulator

This application lets you access your Android's built-in Linux command line shell. It emulates a Digital Equipment Corporation VT-100 terminal. You can use this application to run utility programs on your device.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is this app good for?

This application lets you run Linux command line utilities on your Android phone. It is mostly useful for computer programmers. It might also be useful for people who want to explore the Linux internals of their Android phone.

Do I need a rooted phone to use this app?

This application works with both unrooted and rooted phones.

Does this application help me root my phone?

Sorry no, it doesn't help with rooting a phone.

Can you help me root my phone?

Please don't email me asking how to root your phone. I use developer phones, which don't need to be rooted, so I never learned anything about rooting. Sorry!

Can I use this emulator to play video games?

This application does not play video games. (It's a "terminal" emulator, not a "console" emulator. Sorry!)

Why does this application request INTERNET and WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions?

Those permissions are requested so that command line utilities that run from the emulator (like "ssh" and "cp") will be able to access the Internet and the external storage. (The command line utilities inherit the permission of the application that launches them.)

Major known bugs:

- The soft keyboard doesn't work on the Sony Xperia X10 mini.

- Some HTC devices have no way of producing a '|' (Linux pipe) character.

More info:

http://github.com/jackpal/Android-Terminal-Emulator/wiki

Note: Android Terminal Emulator is an open source project. Well written patches to fix bugs or add new features are welcome.