Amazon isn’t giving up on Android for the Fire TV just yet

Ben Schoon | Feb 6 2025 - 7:30 pm PT

It was reported that Amazon would be shifting its Fire TV lineup away from an Android base, but it seems that’s at least being put off for a while longer as the company has hinted at a new Android 14-based build.

In late 2023, it was reported that Amazon would switch “all” of its future Fire TV devices to a new platform. Job listings and the appearance of “VegaOS” on the Echo Show supported this report, but we haven’t heard much in a while.

Now, AFTVNews has spotted developer documentation from Amazon that confirms the development of Android 14 for Fire TV devices.

Android 14-based Fire TV is based on API level 34. The following sections explain some of important changes that you should consider when you build apps for Android 14-based Fire TV. The migration to standard Android components in the following sections will help reduce the risk of compatibility issues and provide ease of maintenance for your app.

Notably, the documentation never calls this platform “Fire OS,” but Android 14-based versions are referenced on another Fire OS page. This is also the first time that Amazon has offered a virtual testing option for the new update.

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For now, though, there are no Fire TV devices actually running these new Android 14 builds. The sheer existence of these builds does suggest new hardware is incoming, but Amazon hasn’t made any announcement just yet.