Amazon Ditches Android for Future Fire TV Sticks
Amazon has confirmed that all future Fire TV Sticks will run on its Linux-based operating system, Vega OS. The company had previously announced a 'multi-OS' approach with both Vega OS and Fire OS being developed simultaneously.
This means that new devices like the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and Fire TV Stick HD come with Vega OS pre-installed, but lack support for sideloading third-party apps and launchers. Existing Android-based Fire TV Sticks won't receive any further updates, including the upcoming Fire OS 16.
Fire OS 16 is a newer version of the operating system, based on Android 16, which includes performance optimizations and bug fixes. It's expected to be released soon with new smart TVs running it.