Amazon wants to replace Android on Fire TV sticks with Linux

Amazon is working on its Linux operating system for its Fire TV devices, which should be ready this year. This is reported by Janko Roettgers in the Lowpass newsletter. He draws his information from a job advert from Amazon, which has since been amended, seeking a chief engineer for the system called Vega OS.

According to two unnamed sources, the official announcement of Vega OS could take place at an Amazon hardware event next week, Roettgers continues. It will take place on 30 September in New York.

Amazon's Fire TV sticks have so far been running on the open-source version of Android (AOSP). Amazon has created its own interface for this and offers its app store. A substructure converted to its Linux base does not necessarily have to be eye-catching as long as Amazon leaves the user interface untouched.

Vega OS already in use

In fact, the Linux-based Vega OS is already being used largely undetected in several Amazon devices, reports Ars Technica, although Amazon has never confirmed the existence of this operating system. According to the report, however, the current Echo Hub, the 3rd generation Echo Show 5, and the Echo Spot are already running the OS based on Linux kernel 5.16.

According to Lowpass, the OS changeover to Fire TVs will only affect future devices. Fire TV sticks that are already on the market will therefore not be retrofitted with Vega OS. A separate operating system would give Amazon greater control over the software features of the streaming sticks. It is not yet clear to what extent this will change the user experience for consumers. If the Fire TV Sticks are converted to Amazon's own Linux system, Android tinkering such as the installation of APKs would no longer be possible in the future.

Some Fire TV Sticks were temporarily unavailable in Germany due to a patent dispute between Amazon and Nokia. However, all models are now being sold again.

(dahe)