Amazon Plans to Replace Android-Based Fire OS With New Operating System on Fire TVs, Other Devices: Report

Amazon currently runs Fire OS, an Android fork, on its Fire TVs and tablets. Fire OS devices support most Android apps as the operating system is based on Android Open Source Project. The e-commerce juggernaut, however, could be planning to move away from Google’s OS. According to a new report, Amazon plans to replace the Android-based Fire OS on Fire TVs and other devices with a new operating system. The new OS is reportedly at an advanced development stage and could ship on supported devices in 2024.

According the Lowpass newsletter, Amazon is in the process of replacing Android OS with a new operating system on Fire TVs and other supported devices. The new OS, internally known as Vega, has already undergone testing on Fire TV streaming adapters and could be seen on select Fire TVs next year. The report mentions that Amazon has informed select partners that it’s working on transitioning to a new OS for its devices in the near future.

The company has been working on a new OS for years and is said have held talks with chipmakers about the same in 2017. The development efforts for the OS seems to have picked up pace recently. The report cites an Amazon employee, who talked about the OS on a tech worker forum, saying that the company was working on an “iOS / Android competitor for all devices and IoT,” while adding that development on the OS was in its final stages.

According to the report, Vega would be a Web-forward OS for smart home and other devices. Amazon reportedly intends to move away from Android completely across all its devices. In addition to Fire TVs and displays, Vega could also run on in-car entertainment systems and other future devices.

Currently, Fire TVs, Fire TV stick, Echo Show smart displays, and Fire tablets run on the Android-based Fire OS. As Amazon’s OS is based on open-source Android, the latest version of the operating system, Fire OS 8, is based on Android 10 (API level 29) and Android 11 (API level 30). There is no official word from Amazon about the Vega OS or its launch timeline, but the report says the OS will arrive on select devices as early as next year.