Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks have long been among the most popular streaming devices, and it’s easy to see why. They’re affordable, incredibly easy to set up, and can turn almost any TV into a streaming powerhouse in minutes. But there’s another reason Fire TV Sticks have remained so popular: for years, they all ran Fire OS, which is based on Android. That freedom Android offers, such as the ability to sideload apps and install custom launchers, made Fire TV Sticks far more flexible than competing streaming platforms like Roku and Apple TV. But last year, Amazon began stripping away that freedom.
Last September, Amazon announced Vega OS, its new Linux-based operating system that it’s been building from the ground up specifically for Fire TV devices. While Amazon touted Vega OS for its faster performance and lower memory usage, the biggest sticking point for many users is that it doesn’t support sideloading. In other words, if you want to sideload Android apps or install custom launchers on your device, you can no longer do so, with Amazon emphasizing that the change is being made for “enhanced security.”
So far, Amazon has launched two Fire TV Sticks running Vega OS: the Fire TV Stick 4K Select last October and, more recently, a refreshed version of the Fire TV Stick HD. When Amazon first announced Vega OS, it wasn’t exactly clear which devices would eventually make the switch. But after months of uncertainty, the company revealed this past April that all future Fire TV Sticks will run Vega OS.
In other words, the end of Android-based Fire TV Sticks is inevitable. The only question is when. And that time could be approaching sooner than you might think.
Amazon could release new Fire Sticks with Vega OS soon
The end of an era is approaching
As AFTV News notes, Amazon typically announces new devices at an event in September. For instance, last year it announced the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and Vega OS at a late-September event. Looking further back, it announced the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K, later renamed the 4K Plus, at its September 2023 event.
While Amazon has yet to confirm whether it will hold an event this September or sometime this fall, if it does, there’s a solid chance it could announce new versions of both the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and 4K Plus. And given that the company has already said all future Fire TV Sticks will run Vega OS, that would spell the end of Android-based Fire TV Sticks, as the current-gen 4K Max and 4K Plus are the last Fire TV Stick models Amazon sells that still run Fire OS.
To be clear, this is purely speculation based on what Amazon has done in the past, and the company hasn’t confirmed any of its future hardware plans. That said, even if Amazon doesn’t hold an event this fall, both the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and 4K Plus are nearly three years old, which means Amazon is bound to refresh them sooner rather than later.
Either way, if you’ve been on the fence about buying a new Fire TV Stick and specifically want one that runs Android, it’s probably best to consider the 4K Plus or 4K Max while you still can before they’re replaced by new Vega OS versions. Amazon will likely continue selling them even after its new devices inevitably arrive, but once the remaining inventory is gone, the era of Android-based Fire TV Sticks will be over.
- Brand
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Amazon
- Resolution
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4K
- Audio codecs
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Dolby Atmos
- RAM/storage
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16 GB
What about the Fire TV Cube?
Its future is less clear
The last time Amazon released a new Fire TV Cube was back in October 2022, so like the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, it’s certainly due for a refresh.
If Amazon does release a new version, though, the big question will be whether it runs Fire OS or Vega OS. That’s because the only confirmation we have from Amazon so far is that all future Fire TV Sticks will run Vega OS, which technically doesn’t apply to the Fire TV Cube.
Amazon is continuing to develop Fire OS for its smart TVs, and when Vega OS launched, the company said it was becoming a “multi-OS company.” So, with the future of Fire TV Sticks firmly committed to Vega OS, perhaps Amazon could release a new Fire TV Cube running Fire OS instead, giving enthusiasts at least one high-end Fire TV device that still supports Android apps and sideloading.
Again, this is purely speculation on my part, and Amazon hasn’t officially commented on the future of the Fire TV Cube. But I sure hope it sticks with Fire OS if it ever releases a new version of the Cube. Admittedly, though, given Amazon’s push toward Vega OS, the odds of that happening may be pretty slim.
