Amazon’s been cozy with Fire OS, a tweaked version of open source Android, in itsstreaming devices, Fire tablets, and smart speakers. But it was recently found that the company has been sneaking around with an in-house operating system, dubbed Vega OS, aiming to one day kick Android to the curb across the board. It turns out that Amazon has already made the switch from Android to Vega on at least one device.
Eagle-eyed tech sleuths atZatz Not Funnyspotted that the new software on theAmazon Echo Show 5Kids Edition (3rd-gen) is actually Vega-based, not the expectedFire OS(viaThe Verge). It looks like this smart display has been rocking Vega-based software for a month or two now, as indicated by thisforum thread. Instead of the usual Fire OS, the device is proudly flaunting OS 1.1, which is a dead giveaway.
Vega OS looks almost identical to Fire OS in terms of appearance and user experience, so you might not even notice the difference. But under the hood, the changes are significant enough that you can’t use the Echo Show 5 running Vega OS to stream videos from Netflix anymore. It might be because Netflix hasn’t caught up with the Vega vibe yet.
Tech journalist Janko Roettgers was the first touncover the news about Amazon’s new operating system. He claimed that Vega might pop up on Fire TV streaming devices as early as next year. Based on his sources and Amazon’s job postings, Roettgers gathered that this Linux-based OS is cruising along at a pretty advanced stage. Rumor has it that Amazon has already clued in certain partners about the upcoming move away from Android.
So, it’s possible that Vega is gearing up for a grand entrance on Fire tablets and TVs soon. According to Roettgers, Amazon has big dreams of slapping the OS on everything in its product lineup. But switching to a new OS is a big deal, especially for devices like Fire tablets and TVs, which have a huge library of Android-based apps. It’ll be a challenge for Amazon to make sure that Vega is compatible with all of them.
The tech giant’s huge user base might convince developers to make the necessary changes to make their apps work on Vega OS. Tablets and TVs, though, rely on third-party apps, and it’s up in the air whether Amazon’s got enough sway with developers to make them hop onboard the new platform in droves.
Google made a similar move bydropping its Fuchsia software on the 2nd Gen Nest Hub. Now, with the Echo Show 5 Kids Edition rocking Vega, it’s got us wondering if this is a sneak peek into Amazon’s whole hardware game plan. Only time will tell if Vega OS will replace Android on all of Amazon’s devices. But for now, it’s interesting to see that Amazon is willing to take a risk on a new OS.
