| Introduction | Amazon has been developing a new operating system -- internally codenamed "Vega" -- to replace Android on Fire TVs, smart displays, and other connected devices. |
Amazon has been developing a new operating system -- internally codenamed "Vega" -- to replace Android on Fire TVs, smart displays, and other connected devices.
Some of Amazon's smart home devices have been using a forked version of Android called Fire OS. But it’s precisely because of its reliance on the Android open source project to build Fire OS that the company’s operating system development has lagged behind Google’s for years.
Vega is not a new Android fork, nor is it based on AOSP. "It is a style based on Linux and adopts A more web-oriented application model. Application developers are told to use React Native as the application framework so that they can build native applications using a Javascript-driven interface."
Currently, "hundreds" of people in Amazon's device operating system department are working on the development of the new operating system, including former Mozilla engineer and Javascript expert Zibi Braniecki. Branieck joined Amazon in early 2022 to work on Alexa before transitioning to the device operating systems team in early 2023. He revealed on LinkedIn at the time that he was "developing the next generation of operating systems for smart homes, cars and other Amazon device lines."
Roettgers noted that Vega development appears to be progressing quite quickly. The system is already being tested on Fire TV streaming adapters, and Amazon has revealed plans to some partners to transition to the new app framework in the near future.
Amazon could start shipping Vega on some Fire TV devices as early as next year, a source familiar with the company's plans said. The SDK is also being prepared for release to allow developers to port their applications to Vega before it becomes available.
Additionally, sources claim that Amazon’s ultimate goal is to become independent of Android on all of its new devices. Vega will run not only on Fire TVs and smart displays, but also on in-car entertainment systems and other future hardware products. Multiple job postings from Amazon indicate that Vega will be key to its automotive business.
The emergence of Vega has also helped Amazon avoid further conflicts with Google. Roettgers said the two companies have long sparred over Amazon's use of Android, with Google at one point pressuring hardware makers not to build smart TVs running Amazon's system. It wasn’t until later that the two companies reached an agreement that allowed Amazon to cooperate with TV manufacturers such as Hisense and TCL,” but after Amazon abandons Android system, it should be able to better control its own destiny. “
However, some industry insiders believe that competitive pressure may not be the main reason for Amazon's switch to Vega. What Amazon really cares about is getting hundreds of millions of eyeballs on a variety of cheap devices and then monetizing them through ads and services -- and a custom operating system built into it might just be the best way to do that.