Nov 10, 2023 11:50:00

Amazon is working on developing a new OS ``Vega'' to replace the Android-based Fire OS, and may ship Vega-powered Fire TV devices in 2024

Amazon uses

Fire OS , which is based on Android developed by Google, on its own smart TV devices and Fire tablets . However, technology journalist Janko Roettgers has reported, based on multiple sources and other materials, that Amazon is developing a new operating system called Vega to replace the Android-based Fire OS.

Scoop: Amazon is ditching Android for Fire TVs, smart displays
https://www.lowpass.cc/p/amazon-vega-os-fire-tv-android

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https://www.engadget.com/amazon-reportedly-plans-to-dump-android-for-a-homemade-fire-os-replacement-200144781.html

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https://www.androidauthority.com/amazon-android-alternative-3384275/

According to Roettgers, in conversations with chip manufacturers in 2017, Amazon mentioned the idea of ``a new proprietary OS to replace the Android-based Fire OS.'' The effort has accelerated in recent years, with one Amazon employee writing in September 2022 on Blind, an anonymous tech worker platform, that they were developing 'an iOS/Android competitor for all devices and IoT.' I'm here . The employee also reported that the code name of the new OS is 'Vega' and that OS development is almost complete.

Hundreds of Amazon employees in the Device OS group are said to be working on Vega, including Zibi Braniecki , a former Mozilla engineer who joined the company in early 2022. About. Braniecki was originally involved in the development of Alexa, but moved to the Device OS group in 2023, writing on business social networking site LinkedIn that he is working on next-generation operating systems for smart homes, cars, and other Amazon device product lines. 'I'm here,' he wrote.

Vega is an OS developed based on

Linux , and it seems that it has already been tested with the Fire TV streaming adapter. Roettgers also said that they have communicated to some of their partners that they will be migrating their new application framework to React Native , developed by Meta, in the near future.

There are several possible reasons for Amazon to move from the Android-based Fire OS to its own OS. One of them is that since it is based on Android developed by Google, it will inevitably lag behind Google in OS development. In fact, Fire OS 7 installed on many Fire TVs at the time of writing is based on Android 9 released in 2018.

Additionally, since Android is a mobile OS developed for smartphones, it includes a lot of code that is not necessary for smart home devices manufactured by Amazon. The ability to avoid this 'technical debt' is also an advantage of Amazon developing its own OS.

Vega is intended to work not only with Fire TV and smart displays, but also with in-car entertainment systems and other future hardware products, and Amazon plans to eventually move away from Android for all devices. is. Amazon sources contacted by Roettgers said Vega could be available on some Fire TV devices as early as 2024.