Amazon's Android alternative Vega allegedly coming in 2024

According to multiple insiders familiar with this matter who took their time to share their knowledge with Janko Roettgers from Lowpass, Amazon has been developing a new operating system for a while. Currently carrying the codename Vega — a name that might become its commercial designation or not — this mobile operating system is based on Linux and has been already tested on Fire TV devices.

Amazon Fire OS became more than just a skin with the third generation Fire tablets, when Fire OS 3.0 was labeled as "Android compatible" instead of "based on Android" as it was the case with its predecessors. Version 5 came with an updated interface and Android 5.1 Lollipop beneath. Fire OS 6 arrived with Android 7.1.2 Nougat as its fondation, introducing adoptable storage alongside Doze/App standby. Android 9.0 Pie-based Fire OS 7 arrived in 2019 and shipped with all Fire tablets from generations 8 to 11. Fire OS 8 is the latest version and uses Android 11 as its foundation.

While Vega is expected to debut on Fire TV devices, it will gradually replace Fire OS on all Fire tablets and Echo / Echo Show smart speakers. According to the sources mentioned earlier, the development of the new OS is nearly complete and hundreds of people were involved in the process. The current stage involves Amazon "focusing on SDK and value adds to go convince developers to actually use it" so — but this is just my assumption — it would not be surprising to see the Vega-loaded Fire TV arrive as soon as the first quarter of 2024.