Amazon has been using Fire OS on its wide range of hardware products for quite a long time. It is a forked version of Android based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) which is the reason most Android apps are able to run on Amazon devices easily. However, the company does not want to keep using Fire OS and has plans to replace it with a new homegrown operating system.
Amazon Developing “Vega” to Ditch Android
As per a new Lowpass report, Amazon has been working on a new operating system codenamed “Vega” for the last few years. The report cites various job listings, reference materials, and information obtained through multiple sources familiar with the development plans to make the claim.
The report says Amazon began holding conversations with chipmakers about a new operating system as early as 2017. The company has been developing Vega for the last few years and it is said to have reached a fairly advanced stage. In fact, it could even start shipping on select Fire TV devices as early as next year.
Vega is described as a web-forward operating system based on Linux. Hundreds of people as part of Amazon’s Device OS group are said to be working on the development. The new OS will power all Amazon devices including IoT products. The ultimate goal is to replace Android on Fire TV devices completely.
There are multiple reasons that have led to Amazon’s decision to ditch Android and go for a homegrown operating system. One of the biggest reasons is Fire OS is based on an outdated Android version as compared to other Android devices. For example, the current-gen Fire OS 10 is based on Android 10 and Android 11, even though the latest Android version is Android 14. It is also the reason Google itself moved to Linux-based Fuchsia OS for smart display devices.
Amazon is currently busy working on the SDK so that it can encourage developers to create apps for Vega. It is undoubtedly a crucial step regardless of how good or fast a new operating system is, it is essentially dead if there is not sufficient app support.
The report says Amazon eventually wants to see Vega running on devices beyond Fire TV. These include in-car entertainment systems and other future hardware products. An exact release timeline for Vega is unknown but considering the company is aiming to launch it on select Fire TV devices in 2024, we may hear an official announcement sooner than later.
