Amazon is said to be in talks with several streaming platforms to convince them to publish apps for its Vega TV OS that could debut later this year.
Amazon's existing streaming devices run on Fire OS, which is based on Android
Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Glenn Carstens-Peters
Amazon's Vega TV OS could be launched on a TV streaming device later this year, according to a report. The e-commerce giant is looking to transition away from Google's Android operating system, with the new Linux-based Vega OS. It has reportedly been talking to streaming platforms to bring their apps to the platform, while and is looking for developers to work on the Vega TV OS. According to previous reports, the operating system could also be used to replace Android on smart speakers, displays, and in-car entertainment systems.
On this week's edition of his Lowpass newsletter, Janko Roettgers writes that Amazon is still working on its in-house Vega TV OS for its uupcoming devices. Citing sources aware of the company's plans, the journalist reveals that Amazon is aiming to launch the first TV streaming device with Vega OS in the coming months.
Amazon's TV streaming devices and smart TVs currently run on Fire OS, which is based on Android. The new Vega TV OS is based on Linux, and is expected to replace Fire OS on upcoming devices from the company. LG's webOS TV platform is also based on Linux, and offers access to several apps from popular streaming services.
The nascent operating system was previously expected to debut on a streaming adapter (like the Amazon Fire Stick) in late 2024, but the company's guidance for developers suggested it was also working on an Android 14-based version of Fire OS.
Roettgers discovered two job listings (now deleted) on Amazon's website for a “Software Development Engineer, Vega OS” and "Software Development Engineer, Kepler SDK."The latter refers to the Kepler SDK for building apps designed for Vega OS. Other job listings on LinkedIn also mention Vega TV or Vega OS.
Amazon has reportedly approached various streaming platforms to persuade them to publish their apps for the yet-to-be-announced Vega TV OS. A thriving software ecosystem is a must for any new operating system to survive, as customers will want to access various streaming platforms on devices running on Vega OS.
While the company has yet to announce plans to launch a new operating system to replace Fire OS, these clues suggest that Vega OS could make its debut on a streaming device later this year. Amazon's Fire OS might continue to arrive on its smart TVs for a while, based on the recent developer documentation for the Android 14-based Fire OS, and the company could eventually replace it with Vega OS.
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