4 open-source Android apps that are actually Linux tools in disguise

Published Sep 17, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT Ever since he got his first smartphone, the legendary Nokia 6600, back in 2005, Goran became obsessed with technology. This obsession had only gotten worse after he received his first gaming PC a couple of months later. He fell in love with video games in the early '90s, shortly after embarking on his gaming journey with the Sega Master System II and SNES. Since then, he has built dozens of PCs, played thousands of games, and authored hundreds of articles about PC hardware, gaming hardware, and video games. He knows everything there is to know about the PC gaming and PC hardware space, and while his console gaming knowledge isn't as comprehensive, he considers himself a console veteran. Goran has almost a decade of experience writing about tech and video games for numerous web publications including TechSpot, TechPowerUp, and EsportsHeadlines. He has been writing for How-To Geek since December 2022. When he isn't gaming or deciding which component of his PC to upgrade next, you can find him strolling around Novi Sad while listening to music and contemplating what to play next. Technically, Android is Linux, since it's based on the Linux kernel, but in reality, the most popular phone operating system in the world is better described as a Linux-based operating system that's a distant cousin of your usual Linux distribution. It's so distant that you can't run Linux apps directly on your phone, but many Android apps allow you to play around with Linux tools such as the terminal, are Linux tools themselves, or originated on Linux before being brought to Android. Here are four open-source Android apps that tick at least one of those boxes. Termux A Linux terminal emulator for your Android phone (or tablet) Credit: David J. Buck/How-To Geek Termux is probably the most popular Linux tool you can use on your Android phone. It's a terminal emulator that serves a variety of purposes, no root required. At its core, Termux is a Linux environment for any Android phone or tablet, supporting different shells (such as Bash) and a wide range of packages, allowing you to turn your phone into a Linux server, run open-source tools right inside the app, or even bootstrap an entire Linux distro. While it looks complicated — and it is, if you're not familiar with the Linux terminal — Termux can become an incredibly powerful tool if you stick with it and learn the ropes. It's a great example of a robust collection of Linux tools disguised as a "plain" Android app. Just be aware that you shouldn't use the Play Store version of the app because it's fairly limited. Either click the F-Droid link below or get it from its GitHub page. AnLinux Why limit yourself to the terminal when you can run proper Linux distros on your phone? While you can run full Linux distributions inside Termux, the experience is fairly limited. Luckily, you can use AnLinux with Termux to run Linux on Android, including popular distros like Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian, along with Linux apps. The app also supports desktop environments and window managers, so you get a full GUI experience without being limited to the terminal. AnLinux is still somewhat limited; for instance, it still doesn't support the GNOME desktop environment, along with a number of Linux distros. The good news is that AnLinux is in active development, and the developer promises that it will bring GNOME support along with the ability to install and use more distributions. KDE Connect A Swiss Army knife that lets your phone talk to and control your PC Credit: Dibakar Ghosh | How-To Geek KDE Connect is a popular Linux tool that has found its way to many other operating systems, including Android. This is one of KDE's best-known projects, and KDE is an open-source community that builds free software and develops KDE Plasma, one of the most popular Linux desktop environments. Installing KDE Connect on your phone and PC opens a world of possibilities. You will be able to send and receive files between your phone and computer, control your PC with your phone, use the phone as a virtual trackpad for your computer, locate your phone with your PC, get phone notifications on your PC and reply to phone messages from it, and more. It's one of the most useful Android apps that's a proper Linux tool at its core. VLC One of the most popular video players on Android traces its roots back to Linux Credit: Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek To finish, here's one from out of left field. While VLC is arguably the most popular Windows video player today, the app actually started on Linux. VLC first saw the light of day in 1996 at École Centrale Paris, where students needed a tool to stream videos from satellite dishes across the university's campus. For years, VLC was a Linux exclusive before being ported to Windows, after which the app saw a meteoric rise in popularity. Today, VLC is available for a bunch of different operating systems, including Android, where it's one of the best and most popular video players around. Despite its awe-worthy fame, the project is still fully open-source and free, with the developers pledging to keep it free and ad-free. So the next time you open VLC on your phone, remember that you're using an app that was born on Linux long before it ever reached Windows. There are plenty more Linux tools on Android The four apps I've mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg; Android is brimming with useful Linux tools disguised as plain old Android apps. For instance, the stripped-down mpv player is a favorite among Linux users worldwide, and it has an Android version that's just as simple yet powerful as its older Linux cousin. WireGuard, a powerful VPN protocol, has been part of the Linux kernel for years, but you can use its Android version on your phone as well. Last but not least, we've got Nextcloud, which allows you to own your private cloud storage. It's a Linux tool at its heart, with an Android client app you use to access your Nextcloud server.