Last updated: March 27th, 2026 at 15:42 UTC+01:00


One UI 8.5 brings major Linux Terminal upgrades to Galaxy devices

Only supported on Exynos-powered devices.

Adnan Farooqui

Reading time: 2 minutes

galaxy s26 ultra privacy display in action

Asif Shaik - SamMobile

General

Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display in action - Source: Asif Shaik - SamMobile

It emerged last year that Samsung's flagships may enable users to run the full version of Linux Terminal. Google had already enabled this functionality on Pixel devices and since it was baked into Android, there was a solid chance it would come to Galaxy devices as well.

It most certainly did, and the recent updates that Google has made to the Terminal experience are also included in One UI 8.5.

One UI 8.5 improves the Terminal experience on Galaxy devices

AndroidAuthority highlights that Android 16 QPR2 has added support for graphical apps and expanded storage. These features are now available on Exynos-powered Galaxy devices running One UI 8.5, as the firmware is based on this Android version.

The Terminal app in One UI 8.5 now has support for graphical apps. This can be accessed through the display icon in the top-right corner of the window. It certainly improves usability, as users are no longer limited to command-line programs.

Expanded storage access is now visible in the app as well, making it evident that Terminal on your One UI 8.5 device can now access all available storage. This used to be different in One UI 8 where the app would give you a slider to adjust the amount of storage Terminal could access. Terminal in One UI 8.5 gets access to all shared storage folders on the device, including DCIM, Movies, Android, and others.

It does turn out that with this update you can no longer search in developer options, meaning that Terminal access can now only be enabled through ADB commands. Hopefully, Samsung will bring back the option so that it's easier to enable Terminal.