Amazon is reportedly working on a new operating system, internally known as Vega, intended to replace Android on devices such as Fire TV, smart screens, and other connected devices.
This information comes from journalist Janko Roettgers, who gathered insights from multiple sources familiar with these plans, as well as job listings and other materials indicating these efforts.
The development of the new operating system, Vega, seems to be in an advanced stage, with Amazon testing it on Fire TV devices.
The company has informed specific partners about its plans to transition to this new operating system in the near future.
Amazon is expected to begin rolling out Vega on selected Fire TV devices early next year.
For several years, Amazon has been exploring the development of an alternative operating system, in 2019, the idea was actively discussed within the company, with employees initiating talks with chip manufacturers as early as 2017.
Recent reports suggest that these efforts have gained momentum, in September of the previous year, an Amazon employee posted on the technology worker’s forum Blind, stating that the company is developing a competitor to iOS and Android for all devices, including IoT devices.
The employee also mentioned the codename “Vega” and indicated that Amazon has completed most of the development work, focusing on software development tools and value propositions to encourage developers to adopt it.
Hundreds of individuals, including former Mozilla engineer and JavaScript expert Zibi Braniecki, have been working on this new operating system as part of Amazon’s Device OS group.
Braniecki, who joined Amazon in early 2022 to work on Alexa, transitioned to the Device OS group at the beginning of 2023, announcing on LinkedIn that he is developing the next generation of the operating system for smart homes, cars, and other Amazon devices.
Currently, Amazon devices, such as Fire TV, Echo Show smart screens, and Fire tablets, use a derivative version of Android known as Fire OS, the use of Android, based on the open-source Android project, has allowed external developers to bring Android apps to Amazon devices without the need for extensive rebuilding.
Amazon’s current Fire TV devices run on Fire OS 7, based on Android 9, while Google released Android 14 this fall, Amazon’s streaming devices currently run on Android 12, and developers have been testing Android 13 on Android TV developer devices for almost a year.
Android comes with significant technical limitations, primarily designed as a mobile operating system, many of its code instructions are unnecessary for running modern smart home devices.
The new operating system from Amazon, Vega, also relies on a version of the Linux operating system, the company is urging app developers to use the React Native framework, enabling them to build native apps using JavaScript interfaces.
React Native allows developers to create apps for various devices and operating systems, including Android, iOS, and smart TVs, Amazon plans to later move away from Android entirely across all its new devices, adopting Vega for Fire TV, smart screens, in-car entertainment systems, and other future hardware products.
By introducing Vega, Amazon aims to avoid further conflicts with Google, the two companies have long clashed over Amazon’s use of Android, with Google pressuring hardware manufacturers for a period not to build smart TVs running Amazon’s system.
The companies later reached an agreement allowing Amazon to partner with TV manufacturers. However, Amazon’s move away from the Android system gives the company more control over its destiny.
