System app 'Terminal' detected by VPN

g-d-a-e3-a

My VPN service listed an app called Terminal when i checked out the options in split tunnelling and displayed system apps. I'm new to gOS but checked and of course there are no system apps called Terminal on my device (Pixel 8, build 2025062700).

It showed up as a system app in the same place for the vpn client running in Private Space too.

I double checked developer options and made sure the 'try Linux-like' environment was not enabled, as that was the only thing I could thing of. It's not enabled, and developer options are entirely turned off on my device.

I emailed Proton about it but they don't have an answer, of course.

Does anyone have any idea what this Terminal app is doing showing on my phone this way? For what reason it could be?

Thanks.

mmobder

can you find out the package id?

Fay_Wilmont

checked and (..) there are no system apps called Terminal on my device

How did you check this? If it were me I would open Muntashir Akon's App Manager (find it on GitHub or F-Droid), make sure no filters are active (i.e. user and system packages are shown, regardless of their status) and search for "Terminal".

LineageOS used to come with a terminal app that was disabled by default but could be enabled in Developer Options. Maybe your VPN client shows disabled apps too.

monozygote

Isn't terminal the new debian vm thingy that ships with Android these days? I thought you would need to enable it via dev-options though before you could use it (and the first usage downloaded around 600M of debian and all that IIRC).

nologo

The Linux Terminal was integrated in Android 15 in March 2025. It's there, even if it's not enabled. If I go to the split tunneling option in my Mullvad VPN app, I also see the terminal app (provided I chose to show system apps), even though I did not enable the terminal in Developer Options. I see this on my Pixel 8 as well as on my Pixel Tablet. Seems to be normal.

fid02

If it were me I would open Muntashir Akon's App Manager (find it on GitHub or F-Droid), make sure no filters are active (i.e. user and system packages are shown, regardless of their status) and search for "Terminal".

Can confirm. Terminal is installed but disabled by default.

This thread can be marked as solved.